It's BrainStormin' Out!
by L1701E
Summary: Chapter 9 up! Complete! The Southside Misfits encounter a brand new villain with a menacing new power! In this chapter: The Final Battle! Read and Review, please!
1. Chapter 1

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: The Southside Misfits were created by Aaron Whitaker. Raven is a Hasbro character. And here's your quote: "Good things happened, everyone was happy!" - _Lazy Game Reviews_**

Chapter 1: The Announcement!

 **Chicago, Illinois**

In Chicago, Illinois, a firehouse was standing. It was once an abandoned building, but it ended up being the home of a group of young heroes, who took the firehouse and fixed it up. One of the heroes was sitting on a couch in the living room area, watching something on the TV.

The boy was a skinny teenager, his black hair in the beginnings of a mullet, and a pair of sunglasses was stylishly perched just below his eyes. His white lab coat was hanging over the couch's back next to him. He himself was clad in a purple short-sleeved shirt with a yellow-and-black striped tie, and a pair of blue jeans with yellow hi-tops.

 _ **Johnny B. Goode. Real Name: Jonathan Bradley Goodwin. Affiliation: Southside Misfits, Southside Rockers (Keyboardist) Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Superhuman speed, electrokinesis. Is also an expert on technology.**_

He was leaning forward, watching the screen with interest. Nearby, another teenage boy was playing on a special arcade cabinet. The cabinet was a just a shell. Inside was a computer that had arcade emulation software in it. The software in it allowed the teenager to play _Street Fighter II Turbo_ on the cabinet.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Woo! Eat my Shoryuken, Bison!" The teenage boy whooped and pumped his fist briefly before going back to pushing buttons. Like Johnny B., this teenage boy was thin, but more athletic. He wore a Chicago Blackhawks Stan Nikita jersey with a pair of green cargo pants and black combat boots. A green-and-orange headband kept his shoulder-length black hair out of his face.

 _ **WrongWay. Real Name: Michael "Mike" Baxter. Affiliation: Southside Misfits, Southside Rockers (Bass, Saxophone, Vocals). Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Enhanced phtographic memory, ability to track through psychometry.**_

"K.O. You win!" The game called out.

"Yeah!" Mike whooped. "Wooo! Got you, Bison! Yeah yeah yeah!" He started doing a happy dance. "You and Shadoloo just went downtown to Chinatown, brother! Woo!"

Johnny B. chuckled at his friend and bandmate's antics. "Finally beat that game, huh?"

"Yup!" Mike grinned at the genius. "And as Ryu, too! I have beaten it as Dee Jay and as Zangief, but I was cursed as Ryu. Until today!"

"Well, that's good." Johnny B. nodded. "Congrats, bud." He and Mike fistbumped.

"Yeah." Mike glanced at the TV. "What're you watching? Some nerd show?"

"A 'nerd show'. Really." Johnny B. retorted with a roll of his eyes. "It's a science show."

"What're they talking about? New ways to make markers?" Mike cracked.

"No, that was last week." Johnny B. joked back. "This is a local inventor."

"I thought _you_ were the local inventor around here." Mike remarked. Johnny B. shrugged with a smile.

"It's a big city. There's more than enough room for many local inventors." Johnny B. smiled. "In fact, I love it. I think that if more people devoted their imaginations to inventing things to make life better, maybe the world wouldn't be such a miserable place sometimes."

"Ah, well, what can you do?" Mike shrugged. He then eyed the man on the TV.

" _And finally, we're here with Dr. Raymond Strom._ " The host gestured to a skinny beanpole of a man, dressed in a slightly disheveled brown suit and tie. His black hair was combed neatly, but it still managed to look slightly disheveled.

Mike started laughing. "Look at that guy!" He chortled. "You heard of this dude?"

"I've heard of him." Johnny B. nodded. "Ray Strom. Bit of an odd duck, that man."

"Really? Aren't all inventors kind of 'odd ducks'?"

Johnny B. rolled his eyes. "That's a bit of an unfair stereotype, Mike. Strom has been working on something rather big over the past few months."

" _Dr. Strom, can you tell us exactly what you have been working on for the last few months?_ " The host held out the microphone to the smiling scientist.

" _Well, I've been working on a little something to help with the drought problem in the West Coast._ " Strom explained. " _They say it couldn't be done, but I have managed to do it. I have managed to create something straight out of science fiction. I have managed to create a weather machine. It's only able to affect the weather on a small scale, but it's a great stepping stone towards something on a greater scale._ "

Johnny B. leaned forward in his seat. "So _that's_ what he's been working on..." The young genius rubbed his chin in thought. "Fascinating..."

"Really?" Mike blinked. "A weather machine?"

"Yup." Johnny B. nodded. "A weather machine." Mike burst out laughing.

"A weather machine?! _Really?!_ " Mike laughed. "Oh, that's great! That's awesome!" He smacked the back of the couch as he chortled. "Let me guess. It's going to magically make rain and lightning appear out of nowhere?"

"Something like that." Johnny B. shrugged in response. "Although honestly, I don't think such a thing may be possible."

Mike blinked in disbelief at that. "Wait... _what?!_ "

"...I don't think such a thing may be possible." Johnny B. explained.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait..." Mike waved his hands. "You. John Bradley Goodwin, the _King_ of Inventions, think something is impossible."

"Well, if not impossible, extremely unlikely." Johnny B. clarified, taking off his sunglasses and cleaning them with a cloth he produced from his his shirt pocket. "Weather is a complex thing. To manipulate it, you'd have to make changes in air pressure, moisture level, and temperature. It's also a chaotic system."

"Chaotic system?" Mike blinked.

"Basically, if you make a small change to one part of the weather system can have massive effects on the whole thing."

"Oh. I see."

"Yeah." Johnny B. nodded. "To be fair, the idea of a weather-changing machine has been researched by governments."

"And I'm guessing they didn't come up with anything."

Johnny B. shook his head. "No."

"So, this guy has?"

"I guess he has." Johnny B. looked at Mike. "I have to admit, I am quite curious as to how he managed to pull it off."

"Where's he going to show off his new gadget?" Mike wondered.

"Keep it down, and we'll find out." Johnny B. waved.

" _And where will you be showing your new weather-controller?_ " The host asked Dr. Strom.

" _I will be showcasing it at the Annual Inventors' Convention at the Ratner Athletic Center._ " Dr. Strom answered with a smile. " _It's not powerful enough to majorly affect weather patterns, but I have been able to make some storm clouds._ "

"Heyyyy, that place is right here in the South Side!" Mike grinned. Johnny B. smiled.

"It's great the Inventors' Convention is being held there this year. I always wanted to go to one of them."

"What's this convention thing about?"

"Basically, Mike, inventors from all over the world meet up, talk shop, and show off their creations."

"So, it's basically a bunch of geeks showing off their mad creations to each other?"

"It's more than that." Johnny B. explained. "It's about sharing a mutual love of science, and using that love of science to make things better. Lots of investors come by these things."

"Investors?"

"Yup." Johnny B. nodded. "Inventors will often bring prototypes to these things, and try to get investors to give them the money they need to work further on their inventions. That must be why Dr. Strom is there. He must need capital to further improve his weather machine."

"And he thinks he can find some rich person to give him money?" Mike blinked.

Johnny B. nodded. "Yes." Mike grinned.

"Maybe I should get into that inventing racket." His eyes shone wistfully. "I mean, I do know my way around a wrench..."

Johnny B. smiled. "Or I can just get us some tickets, and we can go see the convention."

"You can?"

"Yeah." Johnny B. nodded excitedly. "I was going to talk to Raven about getting tickets to the convention."

"You really think the others would want to see this thing?" Mike frowned. Johnny B. shrugged.

"I don't see why not." The genius answered. "They'll get to meet some interesting people."

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like the Southside Misfits will get to see something very interesting! What insanity will happen next? Will Dr. Strom get the funding for his invention? Will our heroes have fun at the invention convention? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	2. Meet the Villains!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "That man is going to be the death of me." - King Kai, _DragonBall Z Abridged._**

Chapter 2: Meet the Villains!

 **Chicago, Illinois**

The Southside Misfits' tour bus drove down the street, heading towards the Inventor's Convention. The bus was being driven by a beautiful Native American woman, her hair styled into a pair of braids, her frame covered by a red tanktop, a traditional choker around her neck with a feather pendant, and a pair of green camouflage fatigue pants with black combat boots. Her hands were covered by a pair of black biker gloves, with red wristbands.

She was known as Raven. Once, this woman was a pilot. She flew under the banner of Cobra, the evil terrorist organization that was out to rule the world. However, after an encounter with the GI Joe member codenamed Slipstream, she found herself defecting and joining the heroic elite military unit. And now, she was in Chicago, in the role of guardian to this unofficial little group of young mutants known as the Southside Misfits. The woman was whistling along to the bus's radio. Johnny B. peeked into the cab.

"Hey, Raven!" The mutant inventor smiled.

"Won't be much longer until we get to the convention." Raven told him. "You'd asked me five times."

"Ah, sorry." A blushing Johnny B. rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm just really excited, Raven."

"I know." Raven nodded. "Amazing those tickets were so cheap."

"Well, the Inventors' Convention has always welcomes the public. Promotes the love of science, and the proceeds go to local charities."

"I'm just hoping that Lisa doesn't get the idea to touch things." Raven sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? If it's strange, could explode, and nobody knows exactly what it is, she'll touch it."

"Yeah. We'll help keep an eye on her." Johnny B. nodded in understanding.

"You know, with this big convention, I'm surprised you haven't submitted an invention. Too young?" Raven asked.

"No, there is an under-18 category, but it's usually pretty thin." Johnny B. explained. "Not a whole lot of kid inventors, sadly. At least, in the years me and my family went to see it." He smiled happily. "I hope we see some neat things in this year's convention."

Meanwhile, in another area of the bus, two more of the Southside Misfits were relaxing and playing _Super Smash Bros._ One was a stunning blonde blue-eyed girl with a red four-pointed star-shaped birthmark over her left eye. She was wearing a red t-shirt with a Care Bear on it. A pink headband was keeping her wild blonde hair out of her face. Around her neck was a pink neckerchief, and several silver and gold bracelets went around each of her wrists. She also wore a pair of stylishly-torn blue jeans and a pair of red boots.

 _ **Shining Star. Real Name: Jennifer Hendrix Starr. Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA. Affilitation: Southside Misfits, Southside Rockers (Guitar, Vocals). Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers and abilities: Can fire red-colored energy beams from her hands and star-covered eye. Eye can also emit flashes of bright red light that can hypnotize or blind opponents.**_

The other girl had straight jet black hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore a red leather vest with a black tanktop underneath it. She wore black leather pants, held up by a studded belt, and her grinning lips were painted black. Her hands were covered by red opera-style gloves with studded wristbands.

 _ **Vixen. Real Name: Victoria "Vicki" Stephens. Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA. Affiliation: Shouthside Misfits, Southside Rockers (Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals). Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers and abilities: Can manipulate probability, and also has an ability to "charm" people into following simple commands. Is also skilled in magic.**_

"Give this up, Vick! I got ya beat!" Jenni taunted her childhood friend. "You got 97% damage! And I'm gonna get my hands on that Smash Ball!" _Just one more blow..._ Vicki smirked at the blonde.

"I don't think so!" She taunted back. "Ha!" She commanded Captain Falcon to hit Jenni's Little Mac with an uppercut, then nailed the Smash Ball, gaining its power. "Eat my Final Smash!" The F-Zero racer called on his car, the Blue Falcon. The futuristic hovering machine then smashed into Jenni's Little Mac, sending the boxer flying off the stage...and ending the round. "Whoooo!" The dark-haired mutant sorceress grinned, pumping her fist in the air. "That's how it's done, Blondie! That's how it's done!"

"Ah, nertz." Jenni mock frowned and snapped her fingers. "...Want to go another round?"

"Uh, duh. Yeah." Vicki answered with a grin. The two started another game. "I'm going to be Palutena this time."

"Okay, then I'll be Link." Jenni said. "Hey, you wanna play Splatoon next?"

"Oh yeah, I've been wanting to try that game out." Vicki nodded. Meanwhile, on a couch nearby, a tall, muscular African-American boy was lying on it, reading through a car magazine. A black bandanna kept his dreadlocks out of his face, and he wore a black t-shirt with a pair of khaki shorts.

 _ **Trouble. Real Name: Eric Phillips. Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA. Affiliation: Southside Misfits, Southside Rockers (Drums). Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Superhuman Strength, Invulnerability.**_

"Hmm, maybe I should invest in that muffler..." The powerhouse drummer mumbled to himself.

"Hey, big guy! What're you mumbling about over there?" Vicki piped up.

"Just thinking about some parts I want to get." Eric responded. "These ones look well-made."

"You're acting just like Johnny B does when he looks at computer parts." Jenni giggled.

"Speaking of Johnny B, that man owes us for dragging us out to this nerd-fest." Eric grumbled as Johnny B. walked in.

"I never complain when you drag me to car shows, Eric." Johnny B. frowned, crossing his arms.

"You loved the last one we went to." Eric reminded, a mirthful smirk on his face.

"Well, to be fair, who would not be excited to see a DeLorean?" Johnny B. smiled. "Heard you still could get one brand new."

"Yeah, there's a company in Texas that has a whole bunch of parts." Eric remembered with a nod. "I'm saving up to get one made."

"That'll be neat." Johnny B. smiled. "I'd love to fit it with a hover-flight system, like in the second movie." Eric laughed.

"You do that, man! You do that, and I'd love to try and fly it!"

"We're almost there, everyone!" Raven announced over the bus's PA.

"Alright!" Jenni grinned. "I have to admit, I am excited to see this convention."

"You're _excited_ for this?!" Eric rolled his eyes in amazement. "Girl, it's going to be nothing but boring nerds being boring and talk about boring things."

"Eric, it's not going to be boring." Johnny B. sighed, cleaning his sunglasses. "Give it a chance."

"Yeah, you might see some cool gadgets for cars." Jenni added.

"See? Listen to Jenni." Johnny B. insisted. "It won't be so bad."

"Whatever, man. Whatever." Eric shrugged and went back to reading his magazine. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to our heroes, a plot was afoot. On the roof of a building nearby the Ratner Athletic Center, a figure was watching the building through a pair of binoculars. A crazy grin crossed his face. He was a skinny man, dressed in a gray-and-purple costume, with a two-pronged helmet which let his long brown hair go free. His gloves and boots were purple.

 _ **Lamprey. Real Name: Donald McGuiggin. Affiliations: None. Physiology: Enhanced Human. Powers: Can absorb the power of superhuman beings to increase his physical strength, speed, reflexes, and durability. Flight.**_

Donald McGuiggin was once a ordinary man, albeit one who hungered for greater things in life. Once a janitor in a research lab, he tried to use some radioactive chemicals to kill a scientist he despised out of envy, but the chemicals ended up splashing on him. They mutated him and gave him his ability to fly and absorb the power of other surperhumans.

"Hee hee hee!" Lamprey giggled madly. "They don't suspect a thing. Those nerds don't suspect anything." Standing next to him was a man wearing a blue-and-yellow costume with a chest emblem of a white globe with black latitude and longitude lines criss-crossing it, with a blue dagger in front of it. His yellow belt had a rectangular buckle with an "S" on it, and pouches. There was also a holster with a gun in it. His face was covered by a yellow mask with a blue visor on it, and a breathing apparatus.

 _ **Spymaster. Real Name: Unknown. Affiliation: None. Physiology: Human. Powers: No innate superpowers. Skilled fighter, marksman, skills in espionage.**_

"There's not much security there." Spymaster noted, his voice garbled by the technology in his mask, making it practically impossible to tell if the man had any sort of accent. "There is the standard police protection, but that's really it." He looked at Lamprey. "Does make sense."

Lamprey frowned. "What do you mean?"

"This isn't some government thing. It's just a bunch of civilians trying to create better ways to make soup or something like that." Spymaster explained. "The only invention there that is really worth my client's time is that prototype weather machine Strom built."

"Is that why you gathered me and a bunch of others up for this job?" Lamprey grunted.

"Yes." Spymaster explained. "Chicago has no shortage of costumed heroes, especially those Southside Misfits, and I'll need some...superhuman muscle to help keep them at bay while I grab the device."

"The Southside Misfits? The _Southside Misfits?!_ " Lamprey burst out laughing. "Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee! That's rich! Those brats? They're just a mutie rock band!"

Spymaster's eyes narrowed behind his visor at the power absorber. "Those 'brats', as you like to call them, are nothing to sneeze at. Might I remind you that they defeated a sorcerer that channeled the power of the Great Old Ones _twice?_ Not to mention that it's believed they are mentored by a member of the GI Joe team, which means they may have been given _military_ training."

"So what?" Lamprey smirked. "I've heard about those kids, and only one word came to my mind: smorgasbord." The energy absorber practically started drooling. "Think of the power I can absorb from those brats." Another figure walked up to Spymaster.

This figure was a beautiful Caucasian woman. Her long silver hair was wild and free. She wore a white bodysuit with a brown waist-length coat over it. The coat was lined with white false mink fur. She wore a white-and-brown mask over her eyes that resembled a mink's head. She wore brown boots that were lined with white fake fur like her coat. Her hands were covered by a pair of golden gauntlets.

 _ **Mink. Real Name: Julia "Julie" Steel. Birthplace: Syracuse, New York. Affiliations: None. Physiology: Human. Powers: No innate superpowers. Skilled hand-to-hand combatant, thief, and athlete. Armed with gauntlets that have retractable claws, and uses canisters of tear gas-like substance called "Mink Stink".**_

Julia Steel was from a rich Syracuse family. A bored thrill-seeker, she turned to crime to fill her need for danger and excitement. In a short time, she would become known for being a rather skilled and dangerous thief. She was often known for her battles (and occasional team-ups) with the Syracuse-based superhero known as Nighthawk. The two of them often shared a rather...flirtatious relationship.

"Spymaster, I do have some...reservations about this job." Mink told the espionage master.

"Reservations?" Spymaster asked.

"Little Minky's got no guts." Lamprey smirked mockingly at the silver-haired cat burglar. "She don't want to go around hurting the little children with those claws of hers."

Mink scowled angrily at the power absorber. "Unlike you, you little sponge, I have standards. I didn't go into this stuff to slaughter teenagers."

"And here I was, thinking a thrill-seeker like you would find some kicks in fighting some superpowered kids, hee hee hee!" Lamprey laughed. Mink sneered.

"I'm not a sick maniac like you." She crossed her arms. "I'm a professional."

"Power is power, babe." Lamprey shrugged. "Why should I care where I get it from? It's a shame you aren't superhuman, cloudhead." The power absorber licked his lips. "I imagine any power you have would be delicious."

"Look at me like that again, and I _will_ give you a first-hand introduction to these claws!" Mink snapped, unsheathing her gauntlets' claws.

"Bring it on, Little Minksy!" Lamprey taunted, grinning wildly. Spymaster sighed and pushed himself between the two villains.

"Enough!" The blue-and-yellow-clad villain snapped. "I did not gather you all here to fight _each other!_ "

"Just make sure you keep the psycho on a tight leash, Spymaster!" Mink warned the espionage expert, pointing at Lamprey. "I won't be held responsible if that maniac causes things to go straight to Hell!"

"Girl's got a point." A black woman with blonde hair in a flattop, which caused her to have a slight resemblance to singer and actress Grace Jones, piped up. She was dressed in a white jumpsuit with golden highlights, and yellow boots.

 _ **Foxfire. Real Name: Olivia Underwood. Birthplace: Montpelier, New Hampshire. Affiliations: None. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Can project a glow from her hands than can cause matter to disintegrate by breaking its molecular bonds.**_

Olivia Underwood was a mutant woman who turned to crime out of frustration over her destructive mutant powers, and the public's fear of them. "Lamprey ain't exactly the sanest person." Mink rolled her eyes under her mink-themed mask.

"Lamprey here is my big weapon against the Southside Misfits." Spymaster explained. "His powers will allow him to counter anything those kids can throw at him powers-wise."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Foxfire." Mink grunted at her fellow villainess. Foxfire scowled back.

"You're welcome, girl." Foxfire grinned at Mink with mock sweetness. "It was my pure pleasure."

"Just try not to screw _this_ job up, okay?" Mink sneered.

"That was not my fault!" Foxfire snapped.

"What is _with_ those two?" Spymaster asked Lamprey. He only shrugged in response.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"They worked a job together." A fifth voice explained. It was a lanky Caucasian man dressed in a pristine fitted white suit with a long thin pink tie, and pink visor-like sunglasses. His hair was in a pink mohawk. Over his shoulder, was a rolled up pink carpet.

 _ **Remnant. Real Name: Frank Edwards. Birthplace: Topeka, Kansas. Affiliations: None. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Can telekinetically manipulate cloth and fabric. Can also set small objects on fire. Skilled tailor.**_

In his native Topeka, Frank Edwards was once a tailor, until it was discovered that he was a mutant and was using his powers to help with his job. He lost everything as a result, and became a criminal. Despite this, Edwards was a rather jovial supervillain. Amusingly, he was holding a bag of McDonald's. "They worked a job together in Utica. I don't remember all the details, but something went wrong, and Mink nearly got killed. She's been having a mad-on against Foxfire ever since."

"Ah, I see." Spymaster nodded in understanding. "...is that McDonalds?"

"I was hungry." Remnant explained, pulling out a Big Mac container and opening it. "I missed lunch." Spymaster facepalmed.

"You _idiot!_ " He explained. "You just put us all at risk!"

"Relax, I disguised myself." Remnant smiled in reassurance. He put down his food and pulled out a black wig and pair of eyeglasses from his jacket. He then reversed his jacket, revealing a brown tweed pattern, loosened his tie and removed it, and then put on the wig and switched his glasses. "See? I made the jacket myself!" He smiled proudly at his work. "The glasses' lenses aren't real, but most people won't notice."

"Remnant's a lot of things, Spymaster, but he's not an idiot." Mink stated in Remnant's defense. Spymaster sighed.

"Very well. Just hope no one recognized you." He warned Remnant.

"They won't." Remnant smiled, fixing his appearance back up. He then grabbed his bag of fast food and started eating his Big Mac.

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like the villains of our little adventure has arrived! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? Will Spymaster get the weather machine? In fact, who hired him to get it? Will Remnant get to eat his Big Mac? Did any of the other villains want one? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	3. It's BrainStormin' Out!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "Full-Auto." - Judge Dredd, _Judge Dredd._**

Chapter 3: Convention Time!

 **The roof of a building nearby The Ratner Athletic Center**

"Now, I take it you all know your roles?" Spymaster told his five comrades.

"Yup." Remnant nodded.

"We're the damned decoys." Lamprey grumbled. "Just so you can get that damned gadget."

Spymaster glared at the energy absorber. "That 'damned gadget', as you like to call it, has the potential to be a powerful weapon." He pulled out a small phone-sized tablet from one of his belt pouches and pressed a button on it. The small tablet-like device projected a three-dimensional hologram of Dr. Strom's weather machine.

Mink blinked in confusion. "What on Earth is that thing?"

"It's basically a weather-controlling device." Spymaster explained. "I was hired to obtain it."

"By who?" Foxfire asked. "Who hired you to get the weather device?"

"Why does that matter to you?" Spymaster frowned at the woman.

"If you want us to help distract people so you can get that machine, we at the very least deserve to know who is paying you for this thing."

"Honestly, does it really matter?" Lamprey scowled.

"I admit, I'm curious." Remnant admitted.

"Me too." Mink agreed. "Spit it out, or we're out."

"Very well." Spymaster agreed. "AIM is paying me."

"AIM?" Remnant blinked. "Those guys?"

"They're like, super-scientists." Mink scratched her head. "If they want a weather-making machine so badly, why don't they just make one themselves?"

"I don't know, and it's not my place to question." Spymaster explained. "All I know is they tried to get the plans for one from Destro's company MARS, but they failed. They heard about Strom and his weather machine, and they hired me to pick it up."

"In essence, steal someone else's creation so they don't have to do it themselves. Of course." Remnant rolled his eyes.

"Again, I'm just getting paid to retrieve it." Spymaster responded.

Lamprey groaned and threw his hands into the air. "This is all fine and dandy, but when do we get to the slaughter?" He grinned and rubbed his hands. "Hee-hee-hee...I hope some superheroes show up. Maybe those little Southside brats. I'd love to drain them dry..."

"By the way, Lamprey, if they _do_ show up..." Spymaster got right in the power absorber's face. " _No killing._ " Lamprey's jaw dropped. He turned to the others. "I trust none of you have any issues with that?"

"No." Foxfire nodded.

"I never liked the idea of taking lives, anyway." Remnant said, brushing his shoulder.

"Nah." Mink shook her head. "I'm not cutting up a bunch of kids."

 **The Ratner Athletic Center**

The Southside Misfits' tour bus arrived in the Ratner Athletic Center's parking lot.

"We're here, everyone!" Raven announced. "Everyone out!" Raven energed from the bus, the Southside Misfits right behind her. "Fall in!" The group of young mutant rockers fell into a straight line. The Native American Joe nodded in satisfaction. "Very good." She marched up and down, looking at the mutant rockers. "Now, we're here to see the Inventors' Convention, hence the big grin on Johnny B. here's face."

"Ghee-hee..." Johnny B.'s grin was so wide, it was almost cartoonish.

"Good lord, Johnny B. That grin could traumatize small children." Vicki rolled his eyes.

"I would like the lot of you to be on your best behavior." Raven told the group. "Now, for most of you, that won't be much of a problem. However..." She narrowed her eyes at Eric. "You."

"Me?" Eric blinked in confusion, pointing at himself.

"Yes." Raven glared at Eric. "I want you to keep your temper and mouth under control, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Eric nodded.

"And Lisa..." Raven looked at an Asian girl with bright red hair, wearing an orange headband and an orange t-shirt with blue jeans and brown boots. Her hands were covered by black biker gloves.

 _ **Fyre. Real Name: Lisa Bannon (Performs under the name Lisa Blaze). Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA. Affiliations: Southside Rockers (Keyboards). Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Pyrokinesis, Flight.**_

Raven sighed as she noticed what Lisa was doing. She was idly juggling fireballs. "Lisa!"

"Huh?" The redheaded Irish-Cambodian girl blinked as she kept idly juggling her fireballs.

"Will you please stop that and pay attention?"

"Oh, okay." Lisa made the fireballs fade away.

"I know this will be tough for you, but can you try not to be so...well...you?" Raven asked. "There will be a lot of people there with a lot of fancy gadgets there, and I think they would appreciate you not trying to create a fire around them."

"Me not be me?" Lisa blinked. "That's unpossible!" The other Southsiders snickered, and Raven sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Lisa, please."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Raven." A tall, handsome African-American boy smiled at Raven. His long hair was held back by a blue band, and he was wearing a blue polo shirt with blue jeans and a black-and-yellow leather jacket. "I'll keep an eye on her."

 _ **Kid Superstar. Real Name: Jason Vincent. Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA. Affiliations: Southside Rockers (). Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Adaptability.**_

"Thanks, Jason." Raven nodded. "Alright, everyone. Let's go." The group walked up to the entrance where a guard stopped them.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm going to have to check you all..."

"Here you go." Raven showed the guard her Joe ID.

"Oh." The guard blinked. "I see."

"The kids are Joes. They're with me. I'm their..."

"Mom!" Lisa chirped, grabbing Raven in a big hug, making the Native American woman roll her eyes.

"She's our guardian." Jason explained. The guard nodded in understanding.

"I see. I still have to check you for weaponry."

"Fine." Raven nodded. She took off her special shotgun holster, and handed it to the guard. Mike reached behind his back, and produced a pair of metal escrima sticks. Johnny B. removed his lab coat. They then handed their weapons over to the guard, whose jaw dropped.

"This?!" He gaped at the lab coat.

"You'd be surprised what Bill Nye here keeps in his lab coat." Mike quipped.

"Considering the rumors, I can believe it." The guard nodded. "I think you guys can be trusted with this stuff."

"We will be." Raven reassured with a smile, taking the items back and handing them to their owners. "Let's go." The group walked further inside, and went into the main gymnasium. When they walked inside...

"Wow..." Johnny B. whispered in delight.

The gymnasium was full of people and booths. The booths were showing various inventions. There were people looking around and inventors eagerly showed off their creations, prototype and completed alike.

"It's amazing..." Johnny B. whispered in awe. "It's just as amazing as it was when I was a kid..."

"So, this is it, huh?" Eric looked up at the banner hung up in the sky. It was held up by a pair of drones. The sign itself was done in a starfield style, with subtle splashes of purple and blue. The words "Welcome to the 35th Annual Inventors' Convention" were plastered on the banner in a gold-colored futuristic font. "Who designed this banner?"

"I like it." Jenni smiled at Eric. "I think it looks neat." The drummer rolled his eyes. "Look at it like this, Eric. Maybe you'll see a neat invention for that car you've been working on."

The powerhouse drummer shrugged. "Eh, maybe."

"That's the spirit!" She chuckled, patting his shoulder. Eric smirked up at the banner.

 _Okay, maybe this won't be so bad..._

"Okay, everyone." Raven told the Southside Misfits. "Now, remember what I told you."

"We got Lisa, Raven!" Vicki reassured the Native American pilot, Jason and Lisa standing next to her.

"I hope they invented a lollipop that can change flavors!" Lisa said, bouncing up and down eagerly. "That would be awesome! Or maybe ice cream that can sing! Can you imagine that?"

Vicki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, having your snack _sing_ while you eat is not horrifying in any way, shape or form." Mike snickered and started to whistle a little tune.

" _You're as cold as ice!_ " He started belting out the classic Foreigner song. " _You're willing to sacrifice our love..._ "

"Knock it off, Baxter." Raven ordered with an amused rolling of her eyes. "Okay, you're free to look around and enjoy yourselves. Just remember not to mess with anything here."

"Yes, Raven." The Southside Misfits responded in unison. Lisa's eye lit up when she noticed something.

"Cookies!" The redheaded Asian girl pointed at a table that had a big plate of cookies on it as well as other snacks. "I'm getting me some cookies!" She ran towards the table.

"Lisa, wait for us!" Jason yelped as he and Vicki gave chase.

"Make sure she doesn't set fire to anything!" Raven called after them. The group looked around at the various booths. Meanwhile, a disguised Remnant walked into the building. He looked around at the various inventions, a mixture of amusement and slight boredom on his face. Close behind him was a disguised Foxfire.

"Wow." Foxfire remarked, looking around. "Never imagined there were so many wannabe Joneses here."

"Jones?" Remnant blinked in confusion, not getting the reference.

Foxfire smiled. "Frederick McKinley Jones. Black inventor. He was most known for creating an air-cooling unit for trucks so they can carry perishable food and goods all over the country around 1935."

"Oh, neat." Remnant went back to looking around. "Learn something new every day."

"Remember why we're here." Foxfire told the former tailor. "We're supposed to check out the place."

Remnant sighed. "I don't get why Mink couldn't be doing this. She's a thief. She knows about casing out places. She could do it better than either one of us. She's more experienced."

"Her civilian identity is too well-known." Foxfire explained. "She'd attract too much attention."

"I'm sure the ersatz James Bond we're working with would find a way to turn that to his advantage." Remnant rolled his eyes. He then noticed something. "Hey, look..." He tapped Foxfire's shoulder and pointed ahead. "Hey Fox, look." The two saw Johnny B. talking to a scientist and poring over a device at a booth.

"Oh, boy." The black woman groaned, smacking her forehead. "It's one of those Southside kids. You can bet he's never alone."

"Where there is one, the others are not far behind." Remnant sighed. "Wonderful. We'd better alert Spymaster." On the roof of the nearby building, said supervillain was waiting. Mink and Lamprey were with him.

"What's taking so long?" Lamprey grumbled impatiently. "I want to kick some ass!"

"Patience is a virtue, Lamprey." Spymaster told the power absorber sagely. "It only has helped me in my line of work."

"I ain't you, Napoleon Solo." Lamprey mocked, a sneer on his face. "I like action."

"Oh, quit whining already." Mink groaned. She heard a beeping. "What's that?"

"It's me." Spymaster answered, activating a hidden panel in his glove. Lamprey and Mink moved in closer to better hear. "Come in, Remnant."

" _Uh, hey Spymaster._ " Remnant greeted. " _We got a bit of a problem. Fox and I saw one of the Southside Misfits here._ "

" _We think the others might be with him. We'll look around, but it's likely he's got his friends with him._ " Foxfire added.

"Oh, it got just more complicated." Mink groaned. Lamprey broke into a massive laugh fit.

"Heh-heeya-heeya-hee!" The former janitor laughed madly. "That's great! Their powers are a smorgasbord! More energy than I know what to do with!" Mink rolled her eyes.

 _That psycho's going to screw everything up._

"Try to stay out of their sight, just in case. You know what else to do." Spymaster advised.

" _Roger that. Remnant out._ " Remnant ended the transmission. He looked at Foxfire. "Now we just gotta signal him when it's time."

"Let's hope we can handle those kids." Foxfire frowned. The convention continued on as normal. The Southside Misfits were walking around, checking out the various inventions. Remnant and Foxfire also did the same thing.

"Oh my gosh! Fox, look at this!" Remnant pointed at an object. The black woman blinked at what he was pointing at: A long rolled-up batch of gray cloth with a silvery sheen to it.

"It's just cloth." Foxfire frowned at the ex-tailor.

"But it's _beautiful_ cloth!" Remnant smiled adoringly at it. "Just imagine the clothes you could make with this! Jackets! Pants! _Ties!_ " Foxfire fought the urge to laugh. Despite her best efforts, a little snicker did escape. "Oh come _on_ , Fox! You admit, I made an outfit out of that stuff for you, you'd wear it."

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm no fashion model."

"I see you like my invention." Remnant and Foxfire turned around and saw a smiling black man walk up to them. "My name is Gerard Carver."

"Nice to meet you." Remnant shook the man's hand. "That's some fascinating cloth you got there."

"It's special cloth." Carver explained to the two mutants. "It's energy sensitive. This cloth will harden when exposed to enough energy. I'm hoping to get a patron to do further research."

"Ooh, neat..." Remnant handled the cloth. _Energy-sensitive cloth, huh? My powers are psionic, I think. Maybe those energies can do the same thing..._

 _Hoo boy, I think I may have to take him back to the real world..._ Foxfire tapped his shoulder. "Hey pal, it's time to join us in the real world."

"Oh, uh right." Remnant nodded. He shook Carver's hand. "Nice to meet you." The two walked away.

"Are you _always_ like this with fabrics?" Foxfire frowned at the former tailor.

"Eh, heh heh heh, sorry about that..." Remnant rubbed the back of his head. "It was a really nice fabric..." Meanwhile, Lisa's fascination with the food table had never waned. The pyrokinetic keyboardist's bright eyes rapidly went back and forth over the various foods that were available. Her wild red hair bounced with every turn of her hair.

"Ohmigawd! Ohmigawd!" Lisa squealed. "Ohmigawd!" She glanced wildly over at Jason and Vicki, who had gotten themselves plates of food. Jason's plate had some shrimp, salad, a cookie, and a couple of sandwiches he made thanks to some provided ham, turkey, cheese, and bread rolls. Vicki had some roast beef, corn, and green beans. "Look at all the different foods! It's like food heaven! I can't decide what to get!"

"Just try a little of everything." Jason suggested. "The chicken is pretty good."

"So is the roast beef." Vicki added, chowing down on some. "Treat yourself, Lisa."

"Oh..." Lisa blinked. She then quickly nodded, a big smile on her face. The redheaded Asian keyboardist then took a plate and looked around. "Okay! I'll have this chicken!" She put a chicken tender on her plate. "And some of these green beans..and these mashed potatoes...and these cookies..." Jason and Vicki blinked at Lisa, then glanced at each other.

"Should we worry about Lisa eating too much?" Jason asked his girlfriend. The hexcaster shrugged.

"I'm not worried about it." She admitted, eating some of her roast beef. "If worst comes to worst, we can just roll her out."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You're a funny girl, Victoria." She smiled at her boyfriend.

"And that's why you love me." She playfully tapped his nose with her finger. A man walked up to an improvised stage, and tapped the microphone.

"Uh, ahem..." The man couched. "Attention, please...attention..." The crowd of people all turned to the stage.

"Lisa!" Vicki tapped her shoulder. "Look!" She pointed at the stage.

"Oh. Okay." Lisa blinked at the stage. The man smiled.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce one of the more...extraordinary inventions we're had here this year. May in introduce to you, Dr. Raymond Strom." Strom himself wheeled something under a red tarp onto the stage, and then he took the microphone.

"Thank you, everyone." Strom smiled. "It's a pleasure to be here, and I am very eager to show off my little creation to you all. I present to you..." The inventor, with a proud smile on his face, yanked off the tarp. "My Weather Controller!" The crowd murmured and mumbled amongst themselves.

"That gizmo doesn't look like much..." Raven said to herself. Indeed, Raven's assessment was a fair one. The Weather Controller looked like a small propane tank, with an upward-pointing satellite dish on it. It also had a black rectangular control panel on the front of it. The top of the control panel had three dials on it, one green, one red, one blue. A small screen was below them. Below that was a keyboard that looked salvaged from an old computer.

As Strom talked about his device, Raven turned and noticed Johnny B. raptly listening to the inventor. _Heh. I bet he was wondering how this thing worked._

"Anyway, let me show my Weather Controller in action!" A smiling Dr. Strom went over to his machine and started typing on the keyboard. He adjusted some dials. A bit of blue electricity crackled in the satellite dish, and a small gray cloud started to form over the device. The gray cloud floated until it reached a spot just over the device, and then it rained. The crowd murmured and clapped.

"Incredible." An impressed Johnny B. whistled while clapping. Raven scratched her head.

 _I think the Joes encountered something like this before..._ The Native American woman thought. _I think they did. I'll have to ask Hawk about it..._ Unbeknownst to her, Remnant and Foxfire were also watching. The two looked at each other.

"It's time." Remnant nodded at Foxfire.

"I'll raise the signal." She quietly made her way out of the crowd.

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like trouble is ahead! What insanity will happen next? Will Spymaster get the Weather Controller? Can our heroes stop it? Will Remnant get his hands on the cloth? Will Lamprey screw it up? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	4. The Attack!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "Are you as freaked out as I am? Why is it doing this?!" - Brock Samson, _The Venture Bros._**

Chapter 4: The Attack!

 **The Inventors' Convention**

Foxfire moved through the crowd, not realizing that Raven was not far behind her. The former Cobra pilot had noticed her slipping away, and it set off alarm bells in her head. She followed the disguised villainess outside of the building.

"Okay..." Foxfire muttered to herself as she looked around. "There they are." She eyed her comrades on the roof. "Time for the signal." She took off her gloves, and her hands started to glow a bright yellow. She held them out in their direction.

 _ **FWASH!**_

A flash of bright yellow light erupted from her hands. Spymaster noticed this from the roof thanks to her binoculars.

"There's the signal." Spymaster turned to Lamprey and Mink. "Let's go."

"About friggin' time." Lamprey grumbled.

"Let's do this." Mink smiled. "I wouldn't mind getting some valuables that some of those rich investors have."

"Fine. Just no killing." Spymaster waved off Mink's remark. He then shot a quick glare at Lamprey. "Especially you. Now get flying."

"Orders, orders, orders..." Lamprey mock grumbled as he took to the air. Foxfire noticed this.

"Good." She nodded. "Now to join in the action-"

"Nice light show." Foxfire turned around and saw a smirking Raven standing behind her, arms crossed. "I'm guessing that you were letting some friends in on something."

"You could say that." She said to the Joe pilot.

"And I'm sure you would be gracious enough to tell me who exactly you were signalling?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Just who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Right now, all you need to know is this. I'm more than just a pretty light show, lady." Foxfire lashed out with a punch, but Raven knocked it aside, and then knocked her back with a shove.

"Ki-yi!" Raven whacked the mutant woman in the face with a roundhouse kick, knocking her down and causing her wig to fall off, revealing her blonde flattop. "Nice hair, Grace Jones."

"What can I say?" Foxfire smirked, wiping her mouth. "I'm a bit of a fan of hers." She tried to sweep Raven off her feet with a low kick, but the Joe leapt over it. "Ha! Gotcha!" She thrust her hands out, and...

 _Fwash!_ A bright flash of golden light erupted from her hands.

"Aigh!" Raven screamed as she covered her eyes, the bright light blinding her.

"You're fighting way above your weight class, girl!" Foxfire grinned. Raven, rubbing her eyes, tried to point her shotgun at the flattopped blonde woman, Foxfire kicked it aside. She then punched Raven in the gut, hit her in the chin, and then downed her with a roundhouse kick. "Uhn..." She fixed her flattop. "Now with that little distraction out of the way, I can join the others." Meanwhile, back inside, the gang were watching the presentation.

"Hey..." Jason noticed something. He turned to Vicki. "Where's Raven?"

The hexcaster shook her head. "I have no idea." She turned to Lisa. "Hey, Lisa. Did you see Raven around?" The pyrokinetic looked up from her plate of shrimp.

"Nope." She went back to her shrimp. Vicki rolled her eyes.

"Not surprising." She muttered under her breath. "Lisa wouldn't notice Godzilla if he stomped on her." She turned her head. "Hey, Johnny B."

"Yes?"

"Did you see where Raven went off to?" Vicki asked. Johnny B. shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Vicki. I am sorry, I was paying attention to Dr. Strom's presentation."

"Okay, thanks anyway." Vicki nodded. "Jenni!"

"What's up?" The blonde girl answered.

"Where's Raven?"

"I don't know." Jenni shook her head. "I was talking to someone about some cool things he invented for stage effects. I wanted to introduce her to Johnny B. and see if he liked her work."

"Thanks, Jenni." Vicki sighed. "Rats." She then heard a commotion. "What?"

 _BWAM!_

The doors of the area burst open, driving people into a panic.

"HEEYA-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE!" Lamprey cackled madly as he flew into the room after the doors exploded. "Hello, Chicago!"

"Aw, hell." Mike grumbled. Eric swore under his breath.

"The hell?!" Jason exclaimed as the other Southside Misfits gathered around him. Vicki had dragged Lisa behind her.

"I wanted some more mac and cheese!" Lisa exclaimed.

"You've eaten plenty." Vicki told her.

"And I wanted some more cookies!"

"You _definitely_ had enough cookies, Lisa." Vicki sighed at the pyrokinetic, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You _know_ what happens if you get too much sugar."

"What a rush!" Lisa whooped.

"I heard of him! That's Lamprey!" Johnny B. exclaimed. "He's some minor supervillain. Regularly fights some flying guy in Topeka."

"Yeah, I heard of him, too." Mike remarked, grabbing his staff. "The hell's he doing in Chicago?"

"Hee-hee-heeya-hee!" Lamprey giggled madly at the sight of the Southside Misfits. "Look at this. An energy smorgasbord alright..."

"I got something he can snack on." Eric growled, punching his hand with his fist. "A whole muthaf&%^$% buffet of muthaf%&$^$ knuckle sandwiches he can snack on all day long!" He heard the sound of change rattling. A blinking Eric saw a smiling Johnny B. hold out the swear jar to him.

"Pay up."

Eric's jaw dropped. "You are _kidding_ me."

"Pay up." Johnny B. repeated.

"This is some bull, man..." Eric grumbled, taking some change out of his pocket and putting it in the jar.

"Thank you, Eric." Johnny B. put the jar back in his coat. "If this keeps up, we can buy that arcade cabinet I saw on eBay."

"You gotta be kidding me." Lamprey facepalmed in disbelief.

"Can we _please_ concentrate on the flying supervillain, guys?" Jason groaned.

"Man's an energy absorber." Johnny B. explained.

"He's ours, then." Mike jerked his thumb at himself and Eric. "We don't have those."

"Oh, look. Two of you want to play..." Lamprey grinned.

"Come down here so I can give ya a free pair of broken legs!" Eric yelled at the energy absorber.

"Make me. Heeya-hee-hee-hee-hee!" Lamprey taunted.

"Oh, I'll make you come down here!" Eric yelled.

"Trouble, calm down!" Jason held out a hand at his teammate. "Our priority right now is to get these people out of here safely! Where's Raven?!" Meanwhile, outside the building, Raven's eyes opened.

"Ughn..." The Native American woman rubbed her jaw as she got up. "That damned Grace Jones wannabe..." The former Cobra pilot grumbled as she got to her feet. "I'm going to give her a beatin' she won't forget next time I get my hands on her...The hell was she up to, anyway?" She heard the commotion from the door. "Aw, hell. I'm betting the Grace Jones cosplayer and that commotion are related." She looked around and found her shotgun. "There you are." The Joe ran inside.

Back inside the building, the Southside Misfits leapt into action.

"You guys help evacuate everyone! Eric and I have got this punk!" Jason ordered. The others nodded and scattered.

"Come on, Vick!" Jenni waved at Vicki.

"Right behind ya!" Vicki answered.

"I guess you're with me, Lisa. Come on." Johnny B. sighed.

"Yay!" Lisa whooped as she followed the genius. "We never really get to hang out together..."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Johnny B. muttered. The four young mutants got to work calming down the crowd and helping them leave. Jason watched them leave, then he looked at Eric. "Get ready, man."

"I was born ready." Eric retorted. Jason leapt into the air, his adaptive powers giving him increasing the power of his muscles. He leapt towards Lamprey.

"Oh, this is rich!" Lamprey cackled. "You gonna jump at me?"

"Nope!" Jason grinned. He then linked his fingers together and brought his fist up. "Ever play volleyball? I'm gonna spike ya!"

"What?!" A confused Lamprey blinked.

"BRINGIN' DOWN THE HAMMER!" Jason whooped, bringing his hands down on Lamprey.

 _Whack!_

The adapter nailed the energy absorber between the shoulder blades with a mighty hammer blow, sending the villain falling to the ground.

"Wait for it..." Eric grinned, cracking his knuckles as he saw Lamprey fall. "Wait for it..." He got ready to run. "Wait for it..." Lamprey fell closer to the ground. "Now!" The super-strong super-tough drummer charged as fast as he could run, took a leap, and...

"BOOF!" Lamprey gasped out as Eric slammed into him with a spear that would've made Adam "Edge" Copeland proud. Eric was a torpedo, and he slammed Lamprey into a display. "GAH!" Eric got back to his feet.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Eric taunted the downed energy absorber. "You like that, you big bastard?! Huh? You ain't so tough! You ain't so bad!" Jason landed next to Eric as the drummer continued taunting Lamprey. "Who's laughin' _now_ , huh punk?! Who?! Who's laughin' now?!"

"Grrr..." Lamprey growled in frustration. He then smirked. Eric sneered.

"The hell you smirkin' at, you goofy son of a-!" Eric's curse was cut short by Jason. He heard something rolling and turned around. The Southside Misfits' leader turned and saw a pair of white-and-brown spheres roll up to them. They were the size of golf balls and painted to resemble marbles, with golden letter Ms emblazoned on them.

"Eric!" Jason exclaimed. "I think we got grenades!"

 _Boom! Boom! Pfafffffff..._

The small spheres exploded, but instead of releasing explosions, they unleashed a cloud of noxious mustard-yellow/brown-colored gas. The two boys coughed and wheezed at the gas.

"Augh!" Jason felt his nostrils burn at the gas's scent. "What _is_ this stuff? It's rank!"

"Agh! Nasty!" Eric waved his arms and coughed. Lamprey smirked as he got up.

 _Thank you, Mink!_ Lamprey grinned widely. He reached out and grabbed Jason and Eric. The supervillain then activated his power.

"AAAGH!" The boys screamed as they felt Lamprey drain their power.

"Hee-hee-heeya-hee-hee..." The madman cackled as he felt the rush of the boys' power coming to him. After a few seconds, he let them go. Shortly before this, Vixen and Shining Star were working at one side of the building to herd people to safety.

"Go to the doors! Go to the doors!" Jenni ordered. "Stay calm! Go to the doors!" She waved in their direction. "Get far back and get to the doors!"

"Go! Go! Go!" Vicki added, mimicking Jenni's motions. She then noticed something roll towards her: Another pair of Mink's stink bombs.

"Are those marbles?!" Jenni blinked in confusion.

"I don't think so, Jen! I think they may be grenades!" Vicki called out in warning. The young woman prepared a pair of hexbolts to try and deal with them, when they exploded. The exploding stink bombs released their payload: a cloud of noxious mustard yellow/brown-gas. Jen and Vicki coughed and wheezed as the gas hit their noses.

"Augh!" Vicki hacked. "The hell is that stuff?!"

"My eyes!" Jenni wheezed, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "Agh! Oof!" She felt a hard kick in her gut, and was knocked down.

"Stay down, kid." Mink warned the blonde girl.

"Jenni!" A watery-eyed Vicki tried to toss a hexbolt at Mink, but the thief nimbly dodged it. "Damn it!"

"What's the matter, kid?" Mink taunted with a grin under her masked face. "Can't see what you're pitching those fancy energy things of yours at?"

"You ain't so tough without your stink bombs!" Vicki snapped in retort. As this was going on, Johnny B. and Fyre were on the other side of the room, also helping with the evacuation.

"It's alright, everyone!" Johnny B. reassured the fleeing people. "It's alright! Stay calm! Leave in an orderly fashion..." He heard creaking. "What?" He noticed the floor below him start to crack and rot. "The hell?!" The floor cracked open, sending the young inventor falling under the ground. "WHOA!" Fyre, who was observing from the air, gasped.

"Johnny!" She flew down and looked at the hole. "Johnny! You okay?!"

"One down." Fyre looked up and saw a smirking Foxfire walking up to her. The redheaded Asian pyrokinetic blinked in confusion.

"Are you Grace Jones?"

Foxfire rolled her eyes. "No, but I'm a bit of a fan. I'm Foxfire." Lisa shook her head.

"No you're not." Lisa answered. "Foxfire's a white dude. He's one of the X-Men."

Foxfire sighed. _One of the X-Men uses the same codename I do. Only a matter of time until that kind of thing happens, I guess._ "Sure, kid."

"My friend fell in the hole." Fyre explained. Foxfire blinked in amazement.

 _Does this girl have some kind of mental disability?_ "Well, yeah. I made it."

"I see." Fyre nodded. Foxfire grinned.

"Want to see how I made it?"

"Uh, magic?"

"Like this!" Foxfire held out her hands to the ground and her hands put out a flash of yellow light. The ground underneath Lisa's feet weakened and fell apart.

"YI!" The pyrokinetic fell through the floor. Foxfire looked down at the holes she created.

"Well." The mutant woman remarked to herself. "That was easy. Good thing that girl was dumb as all hell." She then saw Lisa slowly fly up out of the holes, carrying the scowling Johnny B. in her arms. "Oh yeah, you can fly."

"Yup!" Lisa grinned widely.

"I take it that this is 'Foxfire'?" Johnny B. asked Lisa.

"Yup!" Lisa nodded with a wide grin on her face.

"I see." Johnny B. nodded as Lisa placed him on the ground.

Dr. Strom had gotten his Weather Controller off the stage, when he heard a click behind him. The scientist turned around and saw that Spymaster had appeared behind him, and was pointing a gun at him.

"Good day, Doctor." Spymaster greeted the scientist. Dr. Strom's eyes widened and face paled in fright.

"Huhhhhnnnn..." Strom gulped, shuddering in fright. "Don't kill me! Please!"

"You do as I say, and you will be unharmed." Spymaster told me. "I just want your weather machine, and I'd rather avoid casualties if possible."

"Y-y-you can't!" Strom begged. "Please! I've been working for _years_ on it.!" Unknown to him, Raven managed to run in.

"You can build another one." Spymaster told him. "Hand over the device."

"How about he keeps his gadget, and you eat a dropkick?" Spymaster blinked when he heard that. He turned around and saw Raven's boot-covered feet fly towards his face.

 _Wham!_

The Joe managed to nail the costumed saboteur with a dropkick that would make any pro wrestler proud. With a grunt, Spymaster tumbled to the ground.

"What the-?!" Spymaster grunted as he got to his feet.

"Don't you move." Raven growled at the costumed espionage expert, pointing her shotgun at him. "Unless you are interested in giving the floor a fresh coat of brain-colored paint." She looked at the inventor. "Dr. Strom, get your invention out of here!"

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like the Inventors' Convention just got one heck of a shake-up! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? Will Spymaster get the Weather Controller? Will the two Foxfires meet? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	5. Explosion!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "I joined the Marines." - Meatwad, _Aqua Teen Hunger Force_**

Chapter 5: Explosion!

 **The Inventors' Convention**

"Hee-hee-heeya-hee-hee-HEEYA-HEE!" Lamprey cackled madly as he felt the rush of his body taking in the power he absorbed from Kid Superstar and Trouble.

"Uhn..." Eric winced as he mentally shook off the pain. "The hell did he do to us?"

Jason "Feels like someone tried to suck out my strength..."

"Damn, man." Eric groaned. "At least succubi try to make sure ya go out with a smile..."

"Thanks for the boost, boys!" Lamprey laughed. "I _knew_ I'd get a smorgasbord of energy here from you brats!" He grinned evilly at Eric and cracked his knuckles. "Hey, big guy. Remember when you said that I wasn't so tough?" Eric sneered in response and opened his mouth. However, before he could utter a retort to the power absorber, the ruthless villain moved with incredible speed.

"Eric!" Jason yelped as the gray-and-purple blur that was Lamprey smashed into Eric and slammed the young mutant against a wall. Lamprey then proceeded to hit the invulnerable drummer with a barrage of super-fast punches.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Lamprey cackled as he punched Eric. "You ain't so tough! Who's the punk now, huh? Who's the punk now? You the punk now, you little HEY!" Lamprey screamed as he found himself being doused with what looked like a living wave of water. "Gah! Glub!" The water wrapped itself around him and seemingly formed a column. The column spun around.

"Not so tough when you need to swim, huh?" He heard Jason taunt him. Lamprey thrashed and tried to swim away.

"GLURG!" The supervillain gargled.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let you down, you talking sponge." Jason laughed. "Have a nice trip!" The column spat out Lamprey, sending the screaming power absorber face-first into a display. The display collapsed and fell on top of the maniacal metahuman. Jason then returned to his human form and ran to help Eric out of his predicament. "You alright, buddy?"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks." Eric let Jason help him out. He wiped his mouth and checked for blood. He found none, and nodded in satisfaction. "Good thing I'm a regular muthatruckin' man of steel."

"Yeah." Jason glanced in the direction he tossed Lamprey. "That's not going to stop that maniac for long."

"How we gonna kick his ass, man?" Eric sighed. "He can absorb our power."

"Then we have to make sure we can't touch us." Jason responded. "My powers may be able to help me with that, but in your case..."

"I need a weapon." Eric nodded, getting was Jason was saying. He then noticed something. "Look out!" Eric shoved Jason aside and got out of the way as the collapsed display flew towards them, clearly tossed at them. However, thanks to Eric's actions, the ruined display only hit the ground. A snarling Lamprey got to his feet.

"Alright! That's it!" Lamprey growled. "Screw this! Screw Spymaster and his stupid 'no killing' BS! I am going to drain you brats dry! I am going to reduce you to a pair of husks so withered that your own _mothers_ won't recognize you!" With a roar, the metahuman menace leapt at the two mutant boys, flying towards them at great speed.

"I'll distract him! Find something to beat this guy down with!" Jason ordered. Eric nodded and did as Jason told. When Lamprey was about to slam into the Southside Misfits' leader, the adapter's body tuned into a cloud of thick black mist, and it concentrated itself around Lamprey's face.

"AGH!" The power absorber screamed, wildly flailing at the mist. "Dammit! What _is_ this stuff? I really can't stand your stinkin' tricks, brat!" Eric looked around for something he could use as a weapon. The powerhouse drummer then glanced at the stands, and an idea formed in his head.

"Hardly a trick, buddy." Jason taunted as Lamprey continued to swat at the smoky cloud he had become. "What's the matter, Lamprey? Can't hit me?"

"Dammit!" Lamprey roared in rage and frustration as he continued swatting. "This is ridiculous! I fought the _Avengers!_ "

"Only because you ambushed Thor and tried to drain his strength." Jason remembered. "You nearly overloaded and blew yourself up, if I remember correctly." While the two jaw-jacked at each other, Eric managed to rip one of the long benches from the stands and approached Lamprey.

"I'm still here, you little smartass!" Lamprey roared. "You gotta change back sometime!"

"You're right." The smoky mist got off the power absorber and reformed into Jason' human form. Lamprey grinned.

"HA!" The maniacal metahuman laughed. "I knew it! You had to change back sometime." Jason smiled.

"Well, I have to admit, there was a reason I changed back." The Southside Misfits' leader admitted, the serene smile still on his face. "You see, my friend right there has a gift for you."

"Huh?" Lamprey blinked in confusion.

"Right behind you, man." Jason pointed behind him. Lamprey turned around, and...

 _ **WHAM!**_ Eric swung the bench, smashing into Lamprey, sending him flying through a wall.

"You just got _benched_ , punk!" Eric quipped. "Heh." He put the bench over his shoulders. "I told him he was a punk. And look at him now. Sent through a wall. Like a punk."

"Come on, Eric. We gotta help the others and figure out what that guy was here for. As well as find Raven."

"Yeah, where _did_ she go?" Eric blinked at Jason.

 _Ahhh, what am I going to do?_ Foxfire thought as she faced off against Johnny B. and Fyre. Her brown eyes darted back and forth between the younger mutants, and her hands glowed a bright yellow. _Spymaster said not to kill anyone, and I don't have a lot of options here._

 _We'll have to strike her fast._ Johnny B. thought, staring intently at Foxfire. _She clearly is capable of breaking down matter, and we don't know if she can affect organic matter._

Fyre was floating in the air behind Johnny B, with thoughts of her own. _Now, do I want to eat a ham sandwich, or a turkey sandwich from the food table? May I'll have one of each. Yeah, that's a way to do it. One of each. Yeah._

"Fyre." Johnny B. looked up at her. He then sighed when he noticed by her facial expression that the Irish-Cambodian redhead was lost in thought. "Fyre!" His sharp yell managed to knock her back to reality.

"Huh?" She blinked at the inventor.

"Plan Johnny Cash, Fyre."

 _Johnny Cash?_ Foxfire blinked.

"Johnny Cash?" Fyre blinked in momentary puzzlement before she lit up. "Right! Plan Johnny Cash!" She flew towards the matter disintegrator, and started humming. Before Foxfire knew it...

 _Fwash!_

Fyre surrounded the older mutant with a ring of tall flames.

"Oh. I get it." Foxfire nodded. "Ring of fire. A Johnny Cash song."

" _I fell in to a burning ring of fire!_ " Fyre sang as she returned to her previous position.

"If you surrender, Foxfire, I'll have Fyre here stop the flames." Johnny B. told the supervillainess. "If not, we will be forced to take more drastic measures."

"Drastic measures, huh?" Foxfire gulped a little bit, looking around at the flames.

"Yes." Johnny B. nodded.

"Like what?" Foxfire tried to sound tough. Johnny B. sighed.

"Very well." He looked at Lisa. "Fyre...bring the flames to her."

"Okey dokey Lisa!" Lisa grinned. She held her hand out towards the ring of fire. Foxfire blinked.

 _The hell is she doing?_ The mutant villainess thought. Lisa slowly closed her hand like she was forming a fist. As her fingers moved, the ring of flame closed around Foxfire.

"Oh, God..." Foxfire mumbled, looking around.

"I doubt you'll want to be a crispy critter, Miss. I suggest you surrender." Johnny B. warned.

 _She's doing this!_ Foxfire realized. _The flying girl is doing this! I've got to stop this before I get burned alive!_ "Okay, okay! Fine! Fine! I give up! I give up!" She exclaimed, holding her hands up. Johnny B. smiled.

"Excellent. Stop the flames, Fyre."

"Okey dokey Loki!" Lisa waved her hand, and the flames dissipated. Foxfire breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." She mumbled,wiping some sweat off her brow.

"Nice work, Fyre." Johnny B. removed his sunglasses. He produced a handkerchief from his coat and cleaned them. "Oh! I just remembered!" He reached into his coat. "We're going to need to put these on-" The electrokinetic inventor pulled out a car headlight. "No, that's not it." He put it back in his coat and pulled out a rubber chicken. "No." Fyre giggled and Foxfire raised an eyebrow.

"This is a bad joke." The matter disintegrator grumbled.

"Funny, isn't it?" Fyre giggled at her.

"I consider it more stupid than funny."

Johnny B. produced a pair of scissors. "No." He produced a protractor. "No." He then pulled out a pair of futuristic-looking handcuffs, making him smile. "Ah, here they are!" He turned to the costumed villainess. "Time to put these on you..."

Foxfire chuckled and crossed her arms. "Yeah, cute. You're not cops. So, I'm not putting on those sci-fi bracelets of yours." She lashed her hands out and flashes of bright yellow light erupted from them.

"AAGH!" The two young mutants screamed as they covered their eyes.

"So long, suckers!" Foxfire broke into a run.

"Ughn..." Johnny B. groaned as he rubbed his eyes and put his sunglasses back on. Thanks to them filtering out much of the light, the young mutant inventor's eyes were able to recover quickly. He then scowled at the woman.

"I don't think so." He grunted, his hand crackling with electrical power. He lashed it out.

 _ **Ka-Zap!**_

An arc of electrical power erupted from the young inventor's hand. It lanced through the air, racing through it like a runner on a track.

"Gah!" Foxfire yelped as the bolt of lightning hit her in the back. She fell forward and landed on her face. "Ow! Ohhhh..." Johnny B. zipped up to the mutant criminal.

"You really should've surrendered." The keyboardist smirked as he put his special handcuffs on her. "And these shut down powers, too."

"And my day just gets better and better..." Foxfire groaned. Mink was facing off against Shining Star and Vixen. The two mutants were scowling at the thief, their hands glowing with their energy attacks.

"How's it going, kiddies?" Mink grinned.

"Oh, just fine. Just fine." Vicki growled. "Really nice of you to send us a couple grenadefuls of that tear gas from Hell of yours."

"Yeah, and the kick to the gut was something I always wanted! Thanks a ton." Jennifer added.

"Hey, don't be like that, girls!" Mink chuckled. "It was nothing personal. Just part of the job." _Hey, where the hell is Remnant?_ The silver-haired thief looked around and spotted the pink-mohawked former tailor stuffing the cloth he found earlier into a bag. "Remnant!"

"What?" Remnant blinked. "I _have_ to have this cloth, Mink! This stuff is awesome! And Spymaster didn't say anything about us taking stuff."

"Get the hell over here!" She snapped. "I'm dealing with these two urchins over here!"

"Urchins?" Vicki looked at Jenni with confusion. The blonde only shrugged in response.

"Alright, alright, alright." Remnant pulled a couple of long scarves from his coat as he joined his silver-haired compatriot.

"You and your stupid cloth obsession!" Mink sighed, rolling her eyes. Remnant blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Sorry."

Mink sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Thanks for making me look like an idiot."

"You know me, and you know my quirks." Remnant sniffed indignantly, crossing his arms.

"Can we fight now, please?" Vicki groaned.

"Yeah. I'm in the mood to hand you two clowns a laser to each of your faces." Jenni grunted, her hands glowing red with unreleased laser power.

"No problem, kiddies!" Remnant smiled, twirling the strips of cloth in his hands. "Hope you like me showing off my cloth-fu!" He then cracked his scarves like whips, making the girls scatter.

"Geez!" Jenni yelped as she dodged one of the whips. "What are those whips made of?!"

"Polyester." Remnant responded.

"Hang on, Jen! I'll hex those scarves of his!" Vicki prepared a hexbolt.

"Nope!" Mink dropkicked the young mutant, making her hexbolt go wild.

"Hey!" Vixen yelped, her hexbolt flying wildly through the air.

"Not going to pull your fancy tricks on me, kid!" Mink taunted with a wide grin. Vicki scowled.

"Why don't you try not ambushing people?" Vicki scowled in response. She looked up, and smirked.

"What're you smirking at?" Mink blinked in confusion. A smirking Vicki only pointed upwards. "Huh?" Mink looked up and saw the hexbolt coming down right on top of her. "EEK!" She dodged out of the way, and the hexbolt hit the ground. She looked up and saw Vixen nail her with a roundhouse kick.

"Not so much fun when you're on the receiving end, now is it?" Vicki grinned. Mink wiped her jaw.

"Cute." Meanwhile, Jenni and Remnant were facing off.

 _Bzzow! Bzzow! Bzzow!_

Jenni Starr was firing red laser blasts from her hands, but the former tailor was shown to be quite an agile man, deftly ducking and dodging the energy blasts, and whipping back at her with his scarves.

"Whoa!" Jenni yelped, dodging the scarves. "What're you, some kinda gymnast?"

"As a kid. I also do some parkour and Capoeira." Remnant explained.

"Well, thanks for the look into your past." Jenni fired more laser blasts at him. Remnant grinned as he dodged and ducked.

"Hey, in this line of work, you gotta keep in shape, ha ha!" The former tailor laughed, lashing out with his whips.

"Whoa!" Jenni backflipped out of the way of one of his cloth whips. "You're not the only one who can do a flip!" She catwheeled towards where Remnant was, and nailed him with a sock to the jaw. The pink-haired mutant grunted and felt his jaw.

"Touche, kid." Remnant nodded. He then felt someone tap his shoulder. "Huh?" He saw Mike smiling at him, tapping his shoulder with his staff.

"Hi!" Mike grinned. He then smacked Remnant across the face with his staff, knocking him senseless.

"Where the hell _were_ you, man?!" Jenni exclaimed.

"I was waiting for the right moment to strike. Like a cobra." Mike grinned proudly. Jenni shot him a 'yeah,right' look. "You're not buying it."

"Nope."

Mike sighed. "But it's true! I was!"

"By just standing around, doing nothing, and letting me and Vixen get our asses kicked."

"I was waiting for the right moment!" Mike explained. Jenni shook her head.

"Never mind, we'll talk about this later. Let's just go help Vixen."

"Grrr..." Lamprey growled as he found his way back into the building. "I'm going to _murder_ those brats!" He angrily looked around and saw Jason and Eric rushing to help Raven. He grinned madly. "Hee-hee-heeya-hee! Gotcha!" _Screw Spymaster, I'm going to drain those little bastards dry!_ He took off and flew towards them. Raven noticed the boys running to her as she had engaged Spymaster.

"I got some superpowered backup, James Bond." Raven mocked the espionage expert. "And the other kids are dealing with your flunkies. Time for you to give up!" Spymaster looked around. Johnny B. and Fyre had Foxfire restrained. Mink was doing her best against Shining Star, Vixen, and WrongWay. Trouble and Kid Superstar were right by Raven's side.

"I will not be an easy fight for the lot of you." Spymaster responded, tightening the grip on his gun. He heard a cry. "What?"

"HEE-HEE-HEEYA-HEE!" Lamprey cackled, flying like a bullet towards Jason and Mike. "PREPARE TO BE DRAINED, YOU PUNKS!" He put his hands forward, ready to drain the mutant youths.

Raven's eyes widened. "Duck!" She commanded. They four ducked as Lamprey rushed over them. Spymaster's eyes widened when he realized where the energy-absorber was heading.

"No! Lamprey, you fool!" He yelled. "You're going to-!" The metahuman maniac smashed into Dr. Strom and the Weather Controller. They fell into a heap. The angry Lamprey grabbed the Weather Controller, a whimpering Dr. Strom holding on to it.

"Dr. Strom, let the device go!" Raven yelled.

"No! It's my life's work!" He wailed.

"Screw you, you nerd!" Lamprey roared at the frightened scientist. "And screw your stinking gadget!" He angrily ripped it out of Strom's hands, and spiked it into the ground like a football player spiking a football during a touchdown celebration.

"NO!" Dr. Strom screamed in horror. "My life's work!"

"You can build another one, you nerd." Lamprey sneered, tossing the scientist into his wrecked device.

 _Oh, I knew he'd botch this up!_ Mink groaned.

"Lamprey, you MORON!" Spymaster roared in outrage. Lamprey flew at Eric. Spymaster growled. He made an adjustment to his gun and fired it at Lamprey. The metahuman fell to the ground. "Mink!" Spymaster called. He threw some flashbang grenades and Mink tossed some of her stink bombs.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The bombs exploded, blinding Raven and the Southside Misfits and attacking their noses with the stink.

"Let's get Remnant and Foxfire and get out of here." Spymaster told the silver-haired jewel thief.

"What about Lamprey?" Mink asked. Spymaster glanced at the tranquilized metahuman.

"Leave him."

Mink smiled. "I can live with that." The two manged to grab Foxfire and Remnant and flee. The heroes were left dealing with the gas.

"Superstar!" Raven coughed.

"You got it!" Jason wheezed. His eyes started to glow white, and a wind kicked up. The wind blew away the gas.

"Augh, that's better." Vicki hacked. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jenni nodded.

"I'm good." Mike rubbed his head.

"We're alright." Jason noted for himself and Eric.

"Fyre and I am well." Johnny B. nodded.

"They wrecked the food table, though." Lisa sighed.

"I think the world can survive the loss of the food table, Lisa." Johnny B. told the Asian red-headed pyrokinetic. Raven noticed Dr. Strom poring over his wrecked device. The Native American woman walked over to the scientist.

"I am very sorry about your gizmo, Doc." She told the scientist sincerely. Dr. Strom sighed.

"I spent _years_ working on this gadget. It was going to help solve the climate change problem...and now...well, that's trashed."

"You _can_ rebuild it, can't you?" Raven blinked.

"I suppose..." Dr. Strom sighed. "But it..." He noticed a glow from the device. "What the-?"

 _ **Boom!**_

Dr. Strom screamed as the device exploded in his arms, and unseen energy saturated his body.

"By the spirits!" Raven exclaimed as she saw Strom's body fall back and twitch. "We need an ambulance out here!" She ran to the doctor. "Hang on, doctor!"

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like the heroes may have a tragedy on their hands! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save Dr. Strom? Will Lamprey get his revenge? Will Lisa hold a funeral for the food table? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	6. Manifestation!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "Mmmm, look at all that text." - Lazy Game Reviews**

Chapter 6: Manifestation!

 **A hospital in Chicago.**

 _Foom!_

The double doors of the hospital burst open as the medics raced down the hall, Doctor Strom on the gurney.

"Guuuuhhhnnnn..." The twitching inventor moaned, burns on his arms, hands, and chest. The medics were working to keep him stable.

"I don't like the looks of these burns." One of the medics remarked.

"Is the ice bath ready?" Another medic asked. One of the other medics noticed a certain Joe pilot running after them. He went up to the woman.

"I'm sorry, miss." The medic told Raven. "But you can't go back here."

"Just tell me if he'll be alright." She told the medic. He nodded.

"We'll let you know."

"Thanks." She walked out back to a waiting area. There, the Southside Misfits were all sitting around.

"How is he?" Jason asked.

"They say they'll let us know." Raven sighed, taking a seat. "Didn't like the look of those burns, though."

"If he does survive, he's going to end up crippled." Johnny B. sighed as he took a seat and munched down on a candy bar he had bought from a vending machine.

"Hey Johnny, what about that gizmo that you once used to save Exo from Diablo's control?" Mike asked the teenage electrokinetic genius. **(1)**

"My Heal Beam?" Johnny B. remembered. "It's not a magic wand. I don't think it could heal damage that severe. I haven't been able to make it able to do that yet."

"You serious, man?"

"Diablo's burn is small potatoes compared to what Dr. Strom just went through." Johnny B. explained. "What I'd like to know is what was _in_ that device to cause such an explosion."

"Maybe he put dynamite in it." Lisa suggested.

"Dynamite? Seriously, Lisa?" Johnny B. sighed.

"God, that poor man." Jenni glanced at the doors. "He didn't deserve this."

"Yeah." Vicki agreed. "It's a warped version of _Frankenstein_. Well, expect for the Weather Controller not being alive."

"Speaking of ol' Franky, I'm curious about something." Mike piped up. "It was said the Doc was horrified by what he created, right? He was horrified by the sight of the monster? Well, why? What did he expect. He built a man out of corpses. What did he expect it to look like?"

"I think it's supposed to be more symbolic, Mike." Vicki explained. "Doctor Frankenstein realized he had created a monster, not new life."

"Yeah, but still..." Mike asked. "Corpses. Rotting corpses. That monster was NOT going to be pretty." Raven frowned as she watched the two converse.

"What's wrong, Raven?" Jason asked.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." Raven sighed. "What's going to happen to Dr. Strom? His work's been destroyed, and so may be his life."

"If it weren't for that jackass Lamprey, this wouldn't have happened." Jason reminded.

"Yeah, well, at least the Guardsman took care of him." Raven nodded. "I do wonder why Spymaster shot him, though."

"He shot him, but he didn't die. He was tranq'd." Jason added. "Does make you wonder." A doctor walked into the room.

"Uh, Miss...Bearclaw?"

"That's me." Raven got up and walked to the doctor. "Yes?"

"Can I speak to you in private?"

"Sure." The two walked over to a corner. "What's up? Is it about Dr. Strom?"

"Well, yes." The doctor admitted. "He's doing well. A little _too_ well."

"What do you mean?" Raven blinked.

"Well, the burns he got on his arms and chest...he should be ending up with nerve damage and scarring, but..."

"But what?"

"Well..." He sighed. "His burns are healing, and they're healing fast."

"Healing fast?" Raven blinked in amazement. "You mean..."

"Yeah, we can _see_ it." The doctor explained. "I've ordered a DNA test. We think he may be..." He looked around slightly nervously. "...a _mutant._ " He whispered the word very quietly, like he was afraid he would get attacked by an unseen force if he even so much as _thought_ of speaking the word.

"You think so?"

"Maybe. Or altered in same way." The doctor said. "We won't know until the DNA test comes in. he may be a late-blooming mutant, though. Some mutants' X-Genes don't activate at the onset of the teenage years, after all."

Raven nodded.

"Well, take good care of him. Doctor." Raven told the doctor. "We'll talk to him when he feels strong enough."

"Alright." The doctor nodded. "I will admit, the possibility that he may be a mutant has got some of us rather nervous."

"I understand." Raven responded. "But you really shouldn't be. Mutants aren't really much different than regular humans."

"That Magneto guy would say otherwise."

"I work with a bunch of mutant teenagers." Raven countered. "They can be a bit...eccentric at times, but they're generally good kids." The doctor glanced at the Southside Misfits, who were all conversing with each other.

"I'm sure they are. Maybe if all mutants were more like them and not Magneto, maybe people wouldn't be so nervous about them." The doctor sighed. "Anyway, would you like to see him?"

"Sure." Raven nodded. "Kids, the doctor is going to take me to see Dr. Strom."

"Okay, Raven." The kids answered.

"Get me a gift!" Lisa waved. The doctor blinked at Raven.

"Lisa's...not quite right. Come on." The doctor guided Raven towards the room. "Forgive me for sounding rather...sudden, but we were wondering what he can be done about it. I mean, we have heard of the Misfit thing you Joes are doing, but he's not a teenager..."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. _If_ we get to it." Raven told the doctor. "Let's go." The doctor guided Raven to Dr. Strom's room. She sighed as she saw the unconscious Dr. Strom lying on the bed, an IV attached to his arm, and a breathing tube attached to his nose. The regular beeping of a heart monitor could be heard.

"He is recovering remarkably well." The doctor remarked, his voice showing amazement. "We estimate he may be able to leave here in a day or two. You see, his skin doesn't even have scars."

"Amazing." Raven mumbled. The doctor felt a buzzing, and looked at the phone on his belt.

"I have to check something." He told the Native American Joe pilot.

"Can I stay with him? I want to be here when he wakes up."

"I guess so." The doctor shrugged.

"Before you go, doctor..."

"...Galloway."

"Doctor Galloway, right." Raven nodded. "I want to make a suggestion. I say we not tell him right away about his newfound trick. Let him get his strength first."

"If you think that's best. You know more about dealing with superhumans more than I do." He handed her a card. "Give me a call if he gets some of his strength back." He walked out, leaving the former Cobra member alone with the unconscious scientist. She took a chair and took a seat next to the scientist.

"Heh." Raven chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "You've become a regular Wolverine, buddy. Ow, what're we going to do with you?"

"Mmm...uhn..." Strom moaned quietly. Raven noticed this.

"Dr. Strom?"

"Uhn..." Dr. Strom whispered weakly. "Where...where am I..."

"You're at a hospital." Raven explained. "You got badly hurt, but the doctor said you're going to be alright."

"My...my Weather Controller..."

"It's destroyed."

Dr. Strom's eyes closed. "My work...all that work..."

"What matters right now is that you're alright, doctor." Raven told him. "I'm sure you can rebuild it."

"I suppose." He looked over at Raven. "How bad am I?"

"Not major." Raven told the scientist. _I'll wait to tell him the big news._

"Huh?"

"I said not major." Raven repeated.

"No, no, no...not that...the other thing." Dr. Strom insisted. Raven blinked in confusion.

"What other thing?"

"The other thing." Dr. Strom repeated. "I heard it loud and clear. You said you had big news, and you didn't want to tell me right now."

"I didn't say that." Raven told him.

"Yeah, you did. I heard it."

"I didn't _say_ it." Raven repeated. "I _thought_ it."

"...thought?" Dr. Strom blinked. "My head hurts..."

"Do you want me to call the doctor?" Raven asked.

"Nnnn..." Dr. Strom winced. "GAHHHHH!" He screamed, clutching his head.

"Dr. Strom!" Raven exclaimed. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number on the card. "Doctor Galloway, I need you in here! Something's wrong!"

"Shut up!" Dr. Strom screamed. "Shut up!" He howled as his mind was barraged by strange voices, the mental voices of the people within the hospital.

 _Gotta remember to make sure Sopovitch takes his medicine..._

 _Ugh, gotta give that guy his sponge bath...all he does is make jokes..._

 _Cat loves food, yeah yeah yeah! Cat loves food, yeah yeah..._

 _I'm so scared of needles, why do I need a shot, the doctor's gonna kill me the doctor's gonna kill me THEDOCTOR'SGONNAKILLME!_

 _God that nurse was hot! I'd love to take her temperature..._

"SHUT UP!" Dr. Strom screamed. Crackling and popping could be heard as electricity started running up and down his body.

"Dr. Strom!" Raven exclaimed. Doctor Galloway ran in.

"I came when I got your call OH MY!"

"SHUT UP!" Dr. Strom howled, the electricity causing the medical devices he was hooked up to to explode.

"GAH!" Raven and the doctor exclaimed as they hit the ground. Raven put on her Joe-Com.

"Johnny B! Get in here!" Raven yelled into the Joe-Com. "And get the others!"

"STOP TALKING!" Dr. Strom howled. "Stop talking, all of you!" The electricity leapt all over the room, blasting at the walls. The scientist's eyes glowed a angry hot white, and he pointed his hand at the wall to the outside. His hand started to glow blue. The temperature of the room dropped.

"How did ti get so cold in here?" Doctor Galloway wondered. "Is...is he doing this?"

"Guess so..." Raven blinked. Dr. Strom fired a blast of blue energy from his hand that froze the wall. The glow then switched to yellow.

 _ **KRAAZOW!**_

The hand fired a lightning bolt that blew a hole in the frozen wall. He then flew off through the hole.

"Oh, hell..." The doctor groaned. The Southside Misfits managed to run up.

"The hell happened here?" Jason blinked.

"Dr. Strom got superpowers." Raven sighed. "And I think they made him a little nuts."

"A _little_ nuts?!" Doctor Galloway exclaimed. "Guy froze a wall, then blasted it with lightning! And you mutants wonder why people are scared of you! This! This right here!"

"It's alright, doctor. Walls can be fixed." Raven reassured. "The priority is lives. No one got hurt."

"Not yet, anyway." Doctor Galloway crossed his arms. "I hope you guys have a plan to stop him."

"We'll think of something." Raven told the doctor. "Sorry about the wall. We'll contact Damage Control, and they'll fix it up. Besides, didn't you say you weren't sure he was a mutant."

"Test results haven't come back yet." Doctor Galloway remembered. "How can I contact you when they come?"

Raven handed him a card. "The number on here." She turned to the kids. "Come on, kids. We got to find Dr. Strom."

"I got this, you guys." Mike smiled. He walked into the room and up to the hole in the wall.

"What's he doing?" Doctor Galloway blinked. Raven smiled.

"WrongWay over there has the mutant ability to find things." Raven explained. The young mutant looked around the hole, and then he put his hand on the wall. He closed his eyes...and the images came to his head. The convention. The attack. The Weather Controller exploding in his face. Mike opened his eyes and let go of the wall.

"Where's he headed, kid?" Raven asked. Mike turned to the Native American woman.

"He's heading back to the Ratner Center."

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like Dr. Storm is heading back to the scene of the crime! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? Can they stop Dr. Strom? Find out in the next chapter!**_

 **(1) – In "Rockin' in the Southside!"**


	7. Brainstorm Arrives!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "Things are about to get broken!" - Michael Cole, WrestleMania 33**

Chapter 7: Brainstorm is Here!

 **The sky over Chicago**

The newly-superpowered Dr. Strom flew over the Windy City, clutching his head. Electricity arced up and down his body as he flew, and his eyes glowed a hot angry white. His black hair was wild, and his temples now had jagged white streaks, almost like he had dyed lightning bolts into his hair.

"Grrr..." Dr. Strom growled, clutching his head. "Shut up...shut up...why the hell won't you all shut up?!" He heard more "voices" coming from a building.

 _Good, I remembered everything I wanted to get at the store..._

 _I hate that jerk next door, always playing that damned music so loud! He keeps it up, I'll call the cops!_

 _I am so going to punch my boss. Guy always runs his blasted mouth..._

 _I should make that nice old lady a sandwich some time. She is always so nice to me._

 _Cat loves food, yeah yeah, yeah yeah! Cat loves food, yeah yeah..._

 _Hey, is that a flying man outside?_

"GRRRRRR!" Dr. Strom roared. "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU! SHUT UP!" He screamed, streaking away, a trail of lightning behind him.

 **A hospital in Chicago.**

"The Ratner center?!" Vicki scratched her head in confusion. "Why in the name of the Goddess would he go down there again?"

"Maybe he wants to show off his new powers." Mike joked.

"Maybe he wanted something out of the food table." Lisa suggested. Johnny B. sighed and punched the bridge of his nose.

"The food table, Lisa? Really?"

Eric glanced at the redhaired Asian girl. "What's wrong with you?"

"I think psychiartists could write entire _series_ of books on what is wrong with Lisa." Johnny B. sighed.

"Enough." Raven told the genius and mechanic.

"Maybe he thinks the supervillains that attacked the place are still there and want a rematch."

"Maybe." Raven suggested. "We gotta get our butts there before he hurts someone." The group raced out of the hospital. "Doctor Galloway! Call us when you get those results!"

 **The Ratner Center**

The Inventor's Convention had been given an unceremonious postponement thanks to the supervillains' attack. The inventors were packing up their inventions, and men and women in orange suits with yellow highlights that seemed to resemble armored hazmat suits were cleaning up the wreckage.

The orange suits were emblazoned with a logo of a bulldog on them. This was Damage Control, a special construction company dedicated to repairs and cleanup after superhero battles. A black woman stood in the center of the court, watching the inventors pack up and the Damage Control employees clean and make their repairs. She wore a blue business suit with a pink blouse and an orange hard hat.

Patty Carroll was the head of Chicago's Damage Control subsidiary. Every major city that had superheroic activity had one, including Los Angeles, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and of course, New York City. One of the inventors approached her, carrying a cardboard box.

"It's a real shame this happened." The inventor remarked, adjusting his glasses. Patty nodded.

"Yeah, but it's the world we live in these days, unfortunately." She sighed. "You guys can resume the convention when we finished our repairs."

"Oh, that's good." The inventor smiled. "I have been very eager to show off my creation." The two then heard something. "Huh?"

"What the-?" Carroll blinked. A couple of Chicago's Finest walked up to her, Raven accompanying them.

"This lady claims to be GI Joe, ma'am." One of the cops explained, jerking his thumb at Raven.

"I _am_ GI Joe." Raven explained, showing her ID to Carroll. The Damage Control head took the ID and examined.

"Seems legit to me." Carroll remarked. "Thanks, guys." The cops walked off. "What can I help you with...Raven?"

"We have a bit of a problem." Raven explained. "One of the inventors here was injured during the attack. And he's gained superpowers."

"He's a mutant?" Carroll inquired.

"Possibly, or maybe an empowered human. We don't know yet. Either way, he's royally angry, and we think he's coming back here."

"Here? For what purpose?"

"We don't know." Raven admitted. "He might think the superpunks who wrecked this place are still here."

"Oh, God..." Carroll groaned. "What can he do?"

"From what I observed, telepathy and weather control."

"Fantastic. I'm guessing you want us to evacuate?"

"That would be great." Raven nodded.

"Where's the food table?" Lisa noticed, looking around. "It's gone!"

"It got destroyed during the big brawl, Lisa. Remember?" Vicki reminded.

"Oh yeah!" Lisa smiled brightly. "Shame. I wanted to try some of that sushi."

"How long until he gets here?" Carroll asked.

"We don't know, so you'd better move. Now." Raven commanded.

"Right." Carroll nodded. She then pulled out a walkie-talkie from a pouch on her belt. "Boys and Girls! Pack it up! We got an evac order!"

"What for?" Answered someone on the walkie-talkie.

"The supervillain who wrecked this place is going to make a comeback."

"Ah, right! Let's evac, folks!"

"You and your..." Carroll looked at the Southside Misfits. "...wards going to fight him off?"

"We're hoping actually to calm him down before someone gets hurt." Raven explained. "Man's been through a lot. His device got blown up, his body got burned, his wounds healed up, and he now also has superpowers."

"You sure they can handle him?"

"We saved the world from a sorcerer who was buddies with the Great Old Ones. We can handle a Storm-wannabe scientist." Mike answered with a cocky grin. Raven noticed the men and women in te Damage Control suits moving to evacuate.

"I just hope we don't end up wrecking this place further."

Carroll chuckled. "We appreciate it, but if things happen, don't worry about it. It's our job." Raven smiled.

"Well, we'll try not to give you too much more work than you need to get done." She turned to the Southside Misfits. "Fyre, you and Johnny B get to the roof and keep an eye out for Strom."

"You got it, Raven." Johnny B zipped off, becoming a lightning-covered blur. Lisa flew behind him, her body sheathed in a corona of flame. In a matter of moments, Johnny B made it to the roof. A short time later, Lisa joined him.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Fyre." Johnny B. told the pyrokinetic. He unfolded his tricorder and starting scanning the air around him.

"Okay!" Lisa saluted jauntily and looked around. "What're we looking for again?"

"Dr. Strom, Fyre." Johnny B. answered. "Remember? He got powers and went crazy?"

"Oh, right." Lisa nodded, then looked around. "Hey, Johnny?"

"What?"

"It's nice out."

"...that it is, Lisa." Johnny B. remarked as he examined his tricorder. Lisa looked out at the Chicago University campus.

"Didn't you want to study here one day?" Lisa asked. Johnny B. looked up.

"You can remember _that_ , but you can't remember what you did five minutes ago?" Johnny B. blinked at his compatriot in amazement.

"My brain is weird." Lisa shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"That's an understatement." Johnny B. muttered quietly to himself. "You see anything?"

"Just trucks and construction vehicles." Lisa shrugged.

"Lisa, that's Damage Control's vehicles. You're supposed to keep an eye out for Dr. Strom."

"Why?" Lisa blinked in confusion. She pointed up in the sky. "He's right there." Johnny B/ noticed that there was a ball of lightning in the air. He pointed his tricorder in the direction of the strange phenomenon.

"Oh, dear..." The young electrokinetic scientist gulped. He activated his watch. "Raven, he's here!"

"Right!" Raven answered. She glanced at Carroll. "Hope your men are on the move."

"We're going." Carroll nodded. "And the cops will protect us. Hope your kids can stop him."

"So do I." Raven sighed. Meanwhile on the roof, Johnny B. and Fyre saw Strom fly towards them.

"Get ready, Fyre." Johnny B. ordered. Fyre nodded and her hands lit with flame. An angry Dr. Strom landed on the roof. His eyes glowed a hot angry white, and the white jagged streaks at his temples seemed to glow as well. Electricity arced up and down his body, and his hands appeared to be covered in ice, the fingers going to sharp points.

"Oh, he looks mad." Lisa blinked. "Maybe he needs a hug."

"Somehow Fyre, I get the idea that hugging him would make him angrier." Johnny B. muttered to himself. "Call the others. I'll try to talk him down."

"Okay!" Lisa smiled chirpily. As she turned on her watch, Johnny B. slowly approached Dr. Strom. "Doctor Strom?"

Back in the court where the convention was being held, Raven's Joe-Com bleeped. "Talk to me."

"Hi, Raven!" Lisa greeted perkily.

"Lisa, is this another one of your stupid questions?" Raven sighed. "I told you, I don't know why there was no cotton candy at the convention."

"No, no, not that." Lisa shook her head. "It's the doc. He's come by, and he seems really mad."

Raven's eyes widened. She turned to Jason. "Get the others up there, now!"

"Grrr..." Doctor Strom growled angrily. "Where are they?"

"Where are who?" 

"The punks who destroyed my Weather Controller! The punks who turned me into this! Where are they?!"

"They're gone." Johnny B. explained. "The people who did this fled. Only Lamprey got captured."

"Where is he?!" Strom roared. "Where is Lamprey?!"

"Most likely in the lockup." Johnny B. explained. "Doctor, we can help you. We can help you handle your new power. And we can help you rebuild your device."

"I want Lamprey! GIVE ME LAMPREY!" Dr. Strom roared angrily, the eletricity crackling around his body flaring up. Fyre flinched, whereas Johnny B. didn't even blink.

 _Good thing my powers give me a great resistance to electricity._ The young mutant scientist thought.

"I heard that!" Strom exclaimed.

"Crud, I forgot he was a telepath..." Johnny B. muttered.

"So, lightning won't hurt you, huh?" Strom's mouth twisted into a smirk. His hands started to glow a menacing blue. "Then maybe some ice will make you talk..."

"Dr. Strom, you don't need to do this." Johnny B. raised his hands in a peace gesture. "We can talk this out. Lamprey has been captured, and we can try to find the other supercriminals who destroyed your device."

Behind the inventor, Jason was flying up towards the roof, towing a bubble of energy. In the bubble were the other Southside Rockers and Raven. The Southside Misfits' leader quietly placed the bubble on the roof and dissolved it as he landed on the ground.

"What do we do, boss?" Eric asked Jason.

"I think we should wait and give Johnny B. a chance." Jason suggested. He glanced at Raven. "You think so?"

Raven nodded. "Yeah." The Joe pilot concurred. "Let's do that." She tightly gripped her shotgun. _I just hope Johnny B. is able to talk him down. I'll blast him if I have to, but I'd rather that be a last resort._

"You don't need to do that. Freezing me won't do you any bit of good." Johnny B. told the superpowered scientist.

"Then what, lightning boy?!" Strom yelled. "They did this to me! They ruined my life's work! They made me a freak!"

"We can help you adjust to your new powers." Johnny B. told the scientist. "And we can help you rebuild your Weather Controller. It's not the end for you."

"They won't shut up!" Dr. Strom screamed. "They won't shut up! Endless talking and talking and talking and _talking!_ "

"Oh, by the Goddess..." Vicki whispered.

"Uhhh, Johnny...I think he's having a bit of a brainstorm!" Lisa yelped.

"Brainstorm, huh?" Dr. Strom grinned. "I like it!"

"Oh." Lisa blinked. "That's nice."

"Aw crud, he's given himself a name." Johnny B. sighed. "Thanks, Lisa."

"No problem!" Lisa smiled proudly, making Johnny B. facepalm. Strom looked at the other Southside Rockers, a mad grin on his face.

Johnny B.'s eyes widened. "Ohhhh, crapbaskets..."

"Oh, here we go..." Raven groaned, preparing her shotgun.

"Don't do this, doctor!" Johnny B. exclaimed. "It doesn't have to end this way! We can help you! We know people who can help you with your powers!"

"I want the ones who made me this way!" Strom yelled. "And if you won't give them to me...I'll take it all out on _you!_ " He fired his freeze beams and electricity at the group. Jason rushed in front of Johnny B. and Lisa and thrust out his hands. A forcefield appeared in front of him, and it stopped the elemental attack.

"I think we don't have much of a choice, Johnny B." The mutant adapter told the electrokinetic inventor. "We'll have to fight this guy."

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like it's about to go down! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? Can they stop the newly-crowned Brainstorm? Will they annoy Damage Control? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	8. Prelude to the Final Battle!

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "Can you imagine gasoline for over a dollar a gallon?" - _Robot Chicken_**

Chapter 8: Prelude to the Final Battle!

 **On the roof of the Ratner Center**

"We're going to have to fight this guy." Jason told Johnny B. The electrokinetic speedster sighed.

"I _really_ wish there was another way this could go."

"I really wish I had some sushi from that food table." Lisa said. Johnny B. sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Not really the same thing, Lisa."

"Enough talkin', man! Let's just beat this punk down!" Eric exclaimed, punching his palm.

"Beat me down?! _Beat me down?!_ " The newly-christened Brainstorm burst out laughing. "That is hilarious! That is the funniest thing I ever heard!"

"We ain't afraid of you!" Eric yelled. "We beat up monsters!"

"I'm no holdover from _Doom_ , punk! And you don't have a BFG!" Brainstorm cackled.

"I don't need no BFG, man!" Eric smirked. "I _am_ a BFG. Why don'tcha come down here and I'll show ya?"

"I'd rather not!" Brainstorm grinned.

"Johnny B, you got another pair of those power-cancelling shackles of yours?" Jason asked.

The inventor nodded. "Yes, of course. I always have more than one."

"We need to get that thing on him." Jason said.

"How, exactly?" Mike blinked. "I don't think asking nicely will do him any good."

"Hey! _HEY!_ " Brainstorm yelled, waving at the kids. "We gonna fight or what?!"

"Guess we got no choice." Jason growled, his body glowing gold in color. He rocketed into the air.

"The hell is that?!" Brainstorm exclaimed.

"A special delivery!" Jason yelled. He streaked through the sky and slammed into the mad scientist. The two then hit the ground, kicking up asphalt. The sound of the smashing could be heard inside the building.

"Let's move, people! Hustle!" Patty Carroll yelled, waving as she fled the building. "We don't want to get caught in the middle of that! Move!" Raven watched them hit the ground.

"Let's move!" The Native American Joe ordered. "Kid's going to need some help down there!" She looked at Lisa. "Fyre, run interference! Jason needs some air cover!"

"Okay, Birdie!" Lisa gave a jaunty salute to Raven, then took to the air. Raven turned to the other Southsiders.

"Let's move! We gotta get down there!" The other Southside Misfits followed her.

"Oh, Raven!" Johnny B snapped his fingers. "I just remembered!"

"What, Johnny?" Raven sighed.

"I was working on a little present for you."

"Now is not the time for this!" The ex-Cobra pilot snapped.

"Oh, I think you'll like this!" The inventor grinned, putting his hand into his jacket. Raven sighed.

 _Not this crazy gag again..._ She fought the urge to facepalm right there. Johnny B pulled out a group of small devices.

"Give me your boomstick."

"Johnny, I may need this thing."

"I know!" Johnny B insisted. "That's why I need your boomstick! I'm going to improve it!" Raven frowned at her weapon.

"I don't really think it needs improvement, Johnny. It's just fine the way it is. It does exactly what it is supposed to: put shells in things I aim it at." Raven's Joe-Com beeped. "Hello?"

"Uh, hi." Doctor Galloway's voice could be heard.

"I take it you got the test results?" Raven deduced.

"Yup." The doctor answered. "We tested his DNA. No sign of the X-Gene."

"So he's not a mutant." Raven realized. "That device must've given him his powers, then."

"Must have." Doctor Galloway agreed. "His DNA does show signs of alteration, but not from an X-Gene. I guess I jumped the gun when I called him an X-factor-type mutant."

"There's more than one way to get crazy powers in this world, doctor." Raven answered. "Thanks for doing that for us."

"Glad to help." Doctor Galloway nodded. "Good luck to all. Hope you can stop that guy."

"Considering what happened to him, I'm hoping that we an end this thing without someone getting killed. Thanks again, and sorry about the wall." Raven ended the transmission.

"What was that about?" Jenni blinked.

"The doctor who helped tend to Strom." Raven explained. "Our boy's no mutant, he's a mutate, or altered human." Meanwhile, at the outside of the arena, Brainstorm and Kid Superstar had recovered from the latter's assault.

"Ungh..." The African-American mutant grunted as he got to his feet.

"Nice trick, punk!" Brainstorm snarled angrily, electricity crackling around him. "You think playing golden bullet is going to stop me?! I want that Lamprey bastard, and right now, I don't care if I have to go _through_ you to get him AARGH!" Brainstorm clutched his head.

 _I'm Blue, da be dee da be die, da ba dee, da ba die..._ He heard singing in his head. He turned his head around rapidly trying to find the source.

 _ **Fwash! Fwash! Fwash!**_

"YEOW!" Brainstorm screamed as he ducked and dodged fireballs. Lisa flew around in a circle above the superpowered scientist, her flaming trail forming a ring. "She's singing!"

"Fire from above!" Lisa whooped.

"Blizzard coming your way, brat!" Brainstorm yelled, pointing his hands at her. Wind and snow fired from them, coming towards the Irish-Cambodian mutant.

"Yipe!" The Asian mutant deftly dodged the blizzard blast. "Ha ha! Ya missed me!"

"Hold still, ya flaming brat!" Brainstorm snapped, trying to blast her. "I'll bring the fury of the storm on you..." He whipped his head. "Oh yeah..." He turned his head, only to eat a fist from Kid Superstar. It knocked him down. "The other one."

"Stop this, Doctor." The leader of the Southside Misfits pleaded. "You don't need to do this. Lamprey is going to jail."

"I want his head!" Brainstorm snapped. "If you're not going to let me have it, I'll go right _through_ you to get it!" He blasted at Kid Superstar with lightning. Johnny B raced in front of the Southside Rockers' singer and took the lightning blast. Thanks to his own electrokinetic abilities, the inventor was able to absorb the blast without any harm to himself.

"Dr. Strom!" Johnny B. explained. "It's not all lost! The Weather Controller can be rebuilt!"

"LAMPREY DESTORYED MY WORK!" Brainstorm roared. "I'LL FRY HIM FOR THIS! AND I'LL FRY YOU FOR DENYING ME LAMPREY!" As if in response to his rage, a dark cloud seemed to form over the sky as the other Southside Misfits and Raven arrived.

Jenni pointed up at the sky. "Oh my gosh! Look at the sky!"

"It must be his powers! His powers must be causing the local weather around him to change.

 _ **KRACK-LL-LLLL!**_

Thunder cracked and lightning flashed. The cloud started dropping rain.

"Gah!" Lisa gasped as rain hit her fiery aura, making hissing noises and causing steam to rise into the air. "Stupid rain! You ruin everything!"

"Fyre, get over here!" Raven ordered. She pointed her enhanced shotgun at the superpowered scientist as the pyrokinetic obeyed. "Dr. Strom, call of your rainstorm! You're not helping yourself here!"

"I WANT LAMPREY!" He roared. "GIVE ME LAMPREY!"

"You know we can't do that, Doctor." Raven answered.

"YOU'RE PROTECTING HIM! IT'S BECAUSE OF HIM PEOPLE WON'T SHUT UP!" Brainstorm screamed, pointing at his head. "THEY TALK AND TALK AND TALK! THEY WON'T SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Great, he can't shut off his telepathy." Mike groaned, clutching his staff tighter.

"Maybe my fist can help him get some much-needed peace and quiet." Eric smirked, pounding his hand with his fist and cracking his knuckles.

"Doctor, we can help you!" Johnny B. begged. "Lamprey is heading to jail! We can help you learn to live with and manage your powers!"

"I DON'T WANT TO MANAGE MY POWERS!" Brainstorm yelled. "I WANT LAMPREY'S HEAD! GIVE ME LAMPREY!"

"Dammit, this isn't going to work." Raven sighed.

"I'LL FIND HIM! AND I'LL KILL HIM!" Brainstorm yelled. "AND IF YOU TRY TO STOP ME, I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!" He used some powerful gusts of wind to blast the heroes away. He then flew off, his body crackling with electrical power. The Southside Misfits grunted and groaned as they got to their feet. The dark clouds in the sky then dissipated, the rain stopping.

"Uhn, my neck..." Vicki groaned, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What...just happened?!" Mike groaned, rubbing his shoulder.

"Hello..." Lisa's legs flailed comically from the trash can she was trapped in. "I can't see in here and it smells bad..."

"Hang on, Lisa." Jenni moved to pull Lisa out of the garbage can she was trapped in. Lisa ended up with a banana peel in her mouth.

"Bleah!"

"Razzum frazzum grrr..." Eric grumbled. The winds had blown him into a wall...face first. He grumbled and cursed as he slid down the wall into the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" Raven asked as she got to her feet and helped Jason up.

"Yeah, we're okay." Johnny B. nodded as he polished his sunglasses and put them back on.

"What do we do now?" Mike asked as he rubbed his shoulder. "Where could that crazy have gone?"

"He kept ranting and raving about Lamprey." Johnny B. remarked. "You think he's going to hunt him down?"

"Who's going to _stop_ him?" Jenni winced. "He can bring a blasted _hurricane_ down on our heads."

"I nearly ate an old banana peel! Bleah!" Lisa winced. "Nasty!"

"Makes sense." Raven agreed, pulling out her cell phone. "I'm going to call the police. They'll let me know where Lamprey is being held at the moment."

"Tell them to make it fast!" Johnny B. exclaimed. "Between his flying speed and his telepathy, he could find Lamprey rather quickly."

Brainstorm streaked through the sky, electricity crackling and sparking up and down his body.

"Where is he?" The superpowered inventor growled to himself, looking around. "Where the hell is he?" He closed his eyes and concentrated. _Come on..._ He grumbled as he heard the thoughts of everyone near him. _Where is he..._ He heard a particular "voice". _Lamprey...found you..._ He flew off.

In a jailhouse, said supervillain was fuming in a holding cell. The power absorber's hands and wrists were covered in futuristic shackles, and he had a power-nullifying collar around his neck.

"I'm going to whup that bastard Spymaster next time I see him." He grumbled. Lamprey heard a chuckle, and looked up. He noticed the detective there smirking at him.

"Enjoying the accommodations, you walking sponge?"

"You know you can't keep me in this cell." Lamprey sneered.

"Those cuffs and that collar say we can." The detective answered. "All we gotta do is wait for the Guardsmen to come pick you up."

"You're lucky you got no powers, you donut-chomper." Lamprey mocked. "Because I'd absorb you dry."

"You can't do jack with that stuff on, buddy." The detective mocked back. "I say just sit back and take a nap or something. If you're good, we'll give you a book or something." He chuckled as he walked off.

"I want something by Tom Clancy!" Lamprey snapped. He then grunted. _Ah, well...nothing I can do now. I'll have to try and flee when the Guardsmen come. And maybe find somebody to get this damn gear off of me..._ He felt himself shiver. _Hey...is it getting colder out here?_ He noticed some snow hitting the window of his cell. "Snow?" He blinked in confusion. "At this time of year? Heh. Global warming must _really_ be making the climate around here go insane." He heard some commotion.

"Why's it so cold suddenly?"

"Someone turn up the heat!"

"Where'd that snow come from?!"

"Huh?" Lamprey blinked.

 _ **BOOM!**_

"Agh!" The power absorber exclaimed as the exploding wall knocked him to the ground. "Ungh..." He opened his eyes and saw Brainstorm float in. The empowered scientist smirked at Lamprey, snow floating around him, and electricity running up and down his body.

"Hello, Lamprey..."

 _ **Click-click! Click-click! Click-Click!**_

Brainstorm sneered at the cops pointing their guns at him through the cell's bars, including the detective.

"Hold it right there, freak!" The detective ordered sharply.

"Do _not_ keep me away from him!" Brainstorm yelled. "This man turned me into this, and I _will_ have his head!"

"Aw, God..." Lamprey groaned.

"Last warning, weather man!" The detective snapped. "Back off and turn off that little blizzard you got going on here!" Brainstorm growled in rage.

"You are _not_ going to stop me from getting my vengeance on this man!" He exclaimed, pointing at Lamprey. "No one will! Not his friends, and not any of you!"

"Friends?" Lamprey blinked in confusion. "What friends? What're you babbling about, you crazy-!"

"SHUT UP, SPONGE!" Brainstorm snapped. He then turned to the cops. "I want this man, I want his head, and you _will_ let me have it!"

"No way, pal!" The detective answered. "He's going to get tried and locked up."

Brainstorm shook with rage. "He destroyed my life's work. It took me _years_ to build the Weather Controller." He pointed at Lamprey. "This monster here destroyed it ina fit of pique, which turned me into this. AND YOU WILL DENY ME MY RIGHTFUL VENGEANCE?!"

"Buddy, we'll let the prosecutor know this!" The detective reassured. "Just calm down!"

"YOU CHILL OUT!" Brainstorm thrust out his hands. The cold winds howled as they blasted into the station and sent the cops flying backwards. "And be lucky I didn't decide to freeze you solid!" The power absorber blinked at all of this, and it hit him.

"Hey, you're that nerdy little punk!" He burst out laughing. "Oh, this is hilarious! Look at you!" He managed to get to his feet with some slight difficulty. "Oh look, you got superpowers, and now you think you're some kind of big shot? That's hilarious!"

"Come with me!" He grabbed Lamprey and flew off. The police officers gathered themselves up as they got to their feet.

"I take it Brainstorm was here?" The detective turned around and saw Raven and the Southside Misfits.

"You guys alright?" Jenni asked as she helped an officer up.

"Yeah, thanks, kid." One of the officers nodded.

"If that's what you're calling that walking storm that took our perp, then yeah, that's him." The detective pointed at the cell. "He ranted and raved about Lamprey in there ruining his life's work."

"Oh, we know why he's after him." Raven nodded. "My team will take care of him."

"Your...team?" The detective blinked.

"Yup." Raven smirked. "I'm GI Joe." She showed the detective her ID. "I got my own little pack of superhumans to help out here." She waved to her kids, who waved back.

"Oh, you got your Misfit guys there."

"Yeah, we got this." Mike grinned, smirking cockily and casually holding his bo staff over his shoulders.

"Yeah, because we got this so well last time we faced that maniac." Vicki sighed.

Mike groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Way to make us not look like total badasses in front of the police, Vixen. Thanks. Thanks so much."

"You guys got donuts here?" Lisa asked, looking at the cops. "They say you guys usually have donuts here."

"Focus, Fyre." Raven ordered. "We're here to help with your little weatherman problem."

"I see." The detective nodded. "Well, good luck to you. I hope you guys can take care of him." Johnny B went over to the destroyed cell and scanned the hole in the wall with his tricorder.

"I have their bio-signatures, Raven." Johnny B. reported.

"Can you track them?" The Native American woman asked.

Johnny B. nodded. "Of course."

"Let's go." The group went to leave.

"What should we do?" The detective asked.

"We'll call you when we find them." Raven explained. "We'll need you to keep civilians safe." Meanwhile, Brainstorm had taken Lamprey to an alley, and tossed him to the ground.

"Ughn!" The power absorber groaned as he got to his feet. "The hell? What's your deal, man?!"

"I worked for years on my Weather Controller." Brainstorm snarled as he floated up to the shackled metahuman. As he approached Lamprey, the clouds in the sky grew darker. "Years of work, gone in a matter of seconds." The wind kicked up, and the temperature grew colder. "You, for no reason, destroyed the device that would have been my _legacy AND TURNED ME INTO THIS!_ " Thunder cracked and lightning flashed.

"Hey, it's not so bad." Lamprey shrugged. "At least you ain't dead."

"You're making jokes." Brainstorm snarled. "You are making jokes at my expense." He gave Lamprey a wind-powered push. The push sent the metahuman flying into a wall. "Do you have ANY REMORSE ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!" Lamprey looked up.

"Hey...are _you_ doing this?!" He pointed up. "I think you're making the sky freak out, man!" _Ho ho, the power_ _ **this**_ _guy has got! I'd love to get a taste of that! Too bad these damn shackles and collar make sure I'm powerless..._

"You thought you could get away from me, didn't you?!" Brainstorm snarled as his fists started crackling with electrical power. "No one can stop me from getting my revenge on you. No one! Not the police, and _especially_ not your friends!"

"My...friends?" Lamprey blinked. "Are you talking about those guys I worked with under Spymaster? Hey, they left me out to dry, man!"

"Your little friends tried to keep you from me, but I managed to blast them away!" Brainstorm snapped.

"Little friends..." Lamprey blinked. "Wait...wait a second...if you're talking about those brats back at the Ratner Center, they're no friends of mine!" The power absorber exclaimed.

"Those brats tried to keep me from getting my hands on you!" Brainstorm snapped. "But I sent them packing! And now nothing is going to stop me from making you _pay!_ " He thrust his hands out.

 _ **KRAKOW!**_

Lightning bolts lanced out of the scientist's outstretched hands. The electrical blasts slammed into Lamprey, making him scream.

"AAAGH!" He howled in pain. _Damn these restraints! I could absorb the power of his electric blasts!_

"You like that, you walking sponge?!" Brainstorm cackled. "With you completely powerless, I could fry you, freeze you, suffocate you-!"

 _ **Blam!**_

Brainstorm turned around and saw Raven and the Southside Misfits with her. The scientist's eyes widened. "YOU AGAIN?!"

"It's over, Doctor Strom." Raven told him. "Let the jackass go, and we can end this peacefully."

"You and your brats won't leave me alone!" Brainstorm snarled. "WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HIM?! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME HAVE MY VENGEANCE?!"

"I could care less about Lamprey." Raven answered. "But killing him won't help you out here, pal. It won't undo him doing this to you. You can repair your Weather Controller."

"Listen to the lady, man!" Lamprey groaned.

"Shut up!" Brainstorm snapped. "I can, yes...but this man must be taught a lesson. And you clearly think his life has some value." His eyes started to glow. "And since you clearly don't care about what I want...I'll MAKE YOU ALL FRY WITH HIM!"

 _ **Well, well, well! Looks like the final battle is about to begin! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? What will happen to Lamprey? Can they stop Brainstorm's rampage? Can they keep him from bringing the city down with his powers? Find out in the next chapter!**_


	9. The Final Battle

**It's BrainStormin' Out!**

 **Disclaimer: "And that's for bullying me!" - The Sheriff, _Squidbillies_**

 **Author's Note: Sorry about the length of time it took to write this chapter. You see, my computer ate it twice, so I had to rewrite it twice. Not fun.**

Chapter 9: The Final Battle!

 **An alley in Chicago**

"I'LL MAKE YOU ALL FRY WITH HIM!" Brainstorm roared, his fists crackling with electrical power.

"Oh, hell..." Jason winced.

"Yup, he's lost it." Eric grunted.

"LOOK OUT!" Raven screamed.

 _ **Kra-KOOM!**_

Brainstorm lashed out at the Southside Misfits with lightning bolts. The hard rockin' heroes managed to all dodge, but the bolts still managed to hit one of them.

"Ooh!" Johnny B grunted as one of the bolts slammed into him, knocking him backwards.

"Johnny! You okay?!" Jenni yelled.

"I'm alright." Johnny B grunted as he got back to his feet. He brushed himself off and adjusted his glasses. "Perks of being an electrokinetic. Lightning bolts tend to just tickle...and knock you off your feet."

"YOU BRATS JUST WON'T LEAVE ME _**ALONE!**_ " Brainstorm roared in rage.

"You're trying to kill a man!" Raven shouted.

"HE DESTROYED MY LIFE'S WORK AND TURNED ME INTO THIS!" Brainstorm yelled.

"Killing him won't undo any of this, Dr. Strom." Raven said to him. "And it'll also get you into more trouble."

"SO, JUST LET HIM GET AWAY AND DO IT AGAIN!?"

"No, let _us_ have him. We'll make sure he goes away for a long time. A _very_ long time." Raven answered.

"I want to go to jail." Lamprey piped up. "I want go to jail now! Just get me away from _him!_ " Lamprey screamed, nodding in Brainstorm's direction.

"SHUT UP, YOU WORTHLESS SPONGE! I'LL END YOU IN A MINUTE!" Brainstorm snarled. Johnny B. looked up at the sky.

 _Oh, dear..._ He noticed the sky was darkening. He pulled out his tricorder, pressed some buttons on it, and pointed it u at the darkening sky. "Oh, boy..."

"What is it, Johnny?" Vicki asked, looking up with him. "Oh, Goddess..."

"Yup." Johnny B. "I think he's causing this."

"He is?"

"Seems like it." The young inventor nodded. "I think his powers are linked to his emotions to a degree. Similar to my case when my own powers emerged. I would spark when I got frustrated."

"How'd you deal with it?" Vicki asked.

"I practiced with my powers and it helped me master them." Johnny B. explained. Vicki frowned.

"Yeah, I don't think Captain Lightning over there is in the mood to do any of that." The hexcaster quipped dryly.

"It could be worse." Mike shrugged. "We may have to deal with Magneto and his group of psychos."

"With guys like Magneto around, no wonder people are afraid of mutants." Eric grumbled.

Brainstorm tries to blast everyone with lightning, but manages to hit Johnny B. It doesn't hurt him, just knocks him down thanks to his mutant powers.

"You can rebuild or repair it, can't you?" Raven asked Brainstorm. "You managed to build it once."

"Yeah, it's not like the thing has any rare components in it...right?" Vicki piped up, then looked at Johnny B. The young mutant shrugged.

"I don't know. I never got to examine the device, so I can't begin to tell you how it works."

Brainstorm looked down. "What's the point? Rebuild it just so this animal can destroy it again?" He gestured at Lamprey. "Is that what you want? You seem to not mind him destroying my life's work and turning me into this."

"To be fair, Doc, we had no idea Lamprey here was going to wreck your machine." Mike laughed weakly.

"Dude, shut up." Jennifer hissed.

"We can help you with your new powers, Doctor." Raven told him. "My kids here were born with their abilities. They can help you learn to live with them, and even do some good with them." Brainstorm seemed to calm down a bit. He looked down at his hands.

"Please take me to prison now..." Lamprey groaned.

"You mean...stay like this?" Brainstorm said. "Just..stay this way?"

"It's not so bad, Doctor." Jenni told him. "It's not really that much different from being a normal human...well, except for being able to do something really neat."

"So basically, I get turned into a freak...and you want me to _stay_ like this." Brainstorm responded. Johnny B looked up at the dark clouds, and then his tricorder.

"Hmm..." He mumbled. _The clouds are starting to dissipate. His calming down must be doing this._ He glanced over at Jenni, who was trying to get through to the superpowered scientist. _I hope she's able to keep him in a calm state. I would like to take him back to the firehouse and run some tests. Might be able to find a way to help him improve his control over his powers..._

"Doc, think of it as a gift." Jenni told the weather-manipulating inventor. Brainstorm looked up and tapped his temple.

"I hear people. In my head." He said. "They never shut up. They don't ever stop talking."

 _Must be having trouble with his telepathy._ Johnny B. deduced.

"It was because of HIM!" Brainstorm snapped, pointing at Lamprey. "HE did this! HE caused me to hear everyone in my head!"

"He's acting like I _planned_ that!" Lamprey groaned.

"You want a punch in the mouth?!" Eric snapped, thrusting his fist in Lamprey's face. "Because that's how you get a punch in the mouth!"

"Talking, talking, talking, talking, TALKING!" Brainstorm snapped.

"Jenni, keep him calm!" Johnny B. hissed at the blonde. "If he stays calm, the clouds dissipate!" Jenni nodded.

"Always talking!" Brainstorm continued to rant. "Always going on and on and on about banal crap I don't care about! Grrrrrr, just shut up!" Brainstorm clutched his head.

"Oh, no..." Johnny B. groaned. He looked up and saw the clouds gather again.

"People's shopping lists! Grumbling about their bosses!" Brainstorm started to stomp around. "Wanting to kick your annoying neighbor in the nuts!" He gestured to Lisa. "THIS GIRL'S RANDOM MENTAL RAMBLINGS!" He then whipped his head in a random direction. "I KNOW YOU ARE GODDAMN EXCITED FOR YOUR NEW KITTEN, KID! SHUT UP ABOUT IT! I DON'T CARE! NO ONE CARES!"

"...who's he talking to?" Mike blinked in confusion.

 _ **KRA-KOOM!**_

"Yipe!" The mutant tracker leapt slightly.

"His anger is creating the weather pattern!" Johnny B exclaimed.

"Doctor Strom, you have to calm down!" Jenni said. "Look at the sky!"

"What about it?!"

"Those clouds! You're going to cause a storm!" Jenni pointed upwards. "Your anger is making the weather go bonkers!"

" _I'm_ going bonkers!" Brainstorm exclaimed. "People won't shut up in my head, I've been turned into a freak, and you all are saying that's a _good thing!_ "

"Doc, none of us asked to have powers, either." Jenni explained. "But we ended up getting them, and we're stuck with them, too."

"I like my powers." Lisa smiled, juggling some fireballs.

"So does the fire department. You always make sure they have work." Vicki joked.

"But I was _normal!_ " Brainstorm retorted. "I don't _want_ these powers!"

"And how many mutants wanted the powers they have?" Jenni countered. "Sometimes, what is normal for a person can change, and there's nothing you can do to undo it."

"So, I just have to _stay_ like this?!" Brainstorm exclaimed. "So, he turns me into this...THING...AND HE GETS **AWAY WITH IT?!** "

"Oh, crapbaskets..." Johnny B. winced as he looked up at the sky, his tricorder going bonkers.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" Brainstorm roared at Jenni. "YOU CLEARLY **WANT** ME TO SUFFER!"

"She's trying to _help_ you, you jackass!" Raven shouted.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Brainstorm roared. "YOU'RE ALL ON LAMPREY'S SIDE! YOUR KIND ALL STICK TOGETHER!"

"I'm not a mutant!" Lamprey exclaimed. "I'm classified as 'enhanced human', moron! Just like you!"

"I OUGHTA FRY YOU RIGHT NOW!" Brainstorm growled as his eyes glowed a hot raging white. Lightning cracked up and down his body, and the sky above him darkened. Thunder cracked, and flashes of white could be seen among the dark clouds. "YOU ARE JUST LIKE LAMPREY!" He took a step towards a visibly frightened Jenni. "YOU **WANT** ME TO SUFFER!"

 _ **Ch-chack!**_

Raven stepped forward, pointing her modified shotgun at Brainstorm.

"Take one. More. Step." The Native American woman growled at the mad metahuman. "Take another step, and you'll get a laser in the face."

"SHOOT HIM!" Lamprey screamed. "SHOOT THE MANIAC! SHOOT HIM NOW!"

"Yeah, come on! Shoot me!" Brainstorm snapped. "Shoot me!"

"Stop this, Dr. Strom!" Johnny B. pleaded. "For the love of everything holy, stop this! You're not helping yourself here!"

"YOU DON'T WANT TO HELP ME!" Brainstorm roared. "IT ALL MAKES SENSE! YOU KEEP TRYING TO PROTECT HIM BECAUSE YOU HAVE POWERS AND SO DOES HE!"

"We're trying to _help_ you!" Jenni exclaimed.

" _NO, YOU'RE NOT!_ " Brainstorm yelled. " _YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT THAT FREAK LAMPREY! YOU'RE HELPING_ _ **HIM!**_ _I'M HIS_ _ **VICTIM,**_ _BUT I'M TREATED AS THE VILLAIN!_ "

"Dude, Lamprey is shackled up! He's powerless right now! _You're_ the one making storms out here!" Mike exclaimed, gesturing to the sky.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE STINKING SKY!" Brainstorm yelled. "I DON'T CARE! I CARE ABOUT GETTING MY RIGHTFUL VENGEANCE! MY RIGHTFUL JUSTICE!"

"You kill him, and we'll _have_ to take you in." Raven told the scientist. "We'd rather avoid that!"

"You won't stop him..." Brainstorm said. "You _**never**_ do. That monster destroyed my life's work. He turned me into this! Look at me! Look my hair! I can never have a normal life anymore!"

"Not all is lost, Doctor." Johnny B. said. "Your Weather Controller can be rebuilt. I can help you with it if you'd like." _I honestly would like to see how the device works myself..._

Jenni Starr gathered up her courage. "And we can help you with your powers." The blonde added.

"Take me to jail! Please!" Lamprey begged. "I want to go to jail!"

"Yeah man, let us take him to jail!" Mike exclaimed, pointing at the purple and gray-clad power-absorber.

"Oh, jail! Great idea!" Brainstorm mocked. "That's wonderful! Which he can bust out of! And cause more carnage! DESTROY MORE LIVES LIKE HE DID MINE! No no no...I say no more! NO MORE!" His eyes glowed a hot angry white. " _ **NO MORE!**_ " A powerful gust of wind blew out of nowhere, slamming into the heroes. It sent the screaming group scattering. The enraged scientist then turned to Lamprey, who was trying to get up and flee.

"Ohhhhh no no no no no no no no no no..." Lamprey whimpered. "You get away! You get the hell away from me!"

" _ **Come back here...**_ " Brainstorm growled in rage as he commanded the winds to bring the metahuman power-absorber to him. He then growled in Lamprey's face. "You and I are going to _finish_ this! At the very place it all _started_ at!" He then flew off, dragging the screaming Lamprey behind him. Unbeknownst to him, some winds kicked up and reformed into Kid Superstar.

"Where it all started from, huh?" Jason frowned. "I'd better gather the others. There's only one place he could have gone." A short time later, the Southside Misfits' leader managed to locate his teammates.

"Where it all began, huh?" Raven asked.

"Yes." Jason confirmed.

"The Ratner Center." Johnny B. deduced. "That's the only place that would make any sense."

"Let's move our butts, then." Raven ordered.

 **The Ratner Center**

"WAHHHHHHOOF!" Lamprey groaned as he landed hard on the roof of the athletic center and rolled across the round. "Ohhhhhh...I just want to go to jail..."

"Jail." Brainstorm snarled as he landed across the roof from the metahuman criminal. "You think you'll get off that easy..."

"Just let them take me to jail, man..." Lamprey begged.

"No." Brainstorm raised a sparking hand.

 _ **Kra-KOOM!**_

A bolt of lightning erupted from the outstretched hand, racing through the air like an airplane.

"AAAAAAIRGH!" Lamprey screamed in pain as the lightning bolt slammed into him. He shuddered and twitched after the impact. _Damned restraints! If it weren't for them, I might have been able to absorb that!_

"Jail is not a place for monsters like you..." Brainstorm growled. He then blasted Lamprey with lightning again.

 _They build these restraints tough._ Lamprey thought. _This is insane! I have to get out of here. This psycho is going to kill me!_

"I can hear your thoughts, Lamprey..." Brainstorm snarled. "Look at you. The big bad Lamprey. The sadistic sponge. To think I _feared_ you. But now..." He grinned madly, electricity cracking and his tightening fists freezing over. " _I_ have the power. _I_ am the one standing over _you._ Because you could not leave my device alone."

"Hey hey, I just lost my temper, man!" Lamprey chuckled nervously. "It happens to the best of us, you know? And besides, those lightning streaks in your hair look good on ya. Make you look distinguished."

"Flattery ain't going to save you, you jackwagon." Brainstorm said to him. "You act like such a big man when you can lord your power over others. But now, you're powerless, and _I HAVE THE POWER!_ " Lightning cracked as the sky over the Ratner Center started to darken. Lamprey looked up.

 _Oh geez..._ "Uh Doc, you may want to look up."

"I don't _**care**_ about the sky right now!" Brainstorm snapped. "Do you have any idea! ANY IDEA AT ALL WHAT YOU DID TO ME?!" He punched Lamprey with an icy fist. "You ruined my life's work!" Another punch. "You destroyed something I was going to use to help humanity!" Another punch. "It was to be my _legacy!_ " He then kicked the metahuman. "But instead, you decide to throw a tantrum that turned me into _this!_ " He zapped Lamprey again.

"AAAARGH!"

"But I just realized something." Brainstorm grinned madly. "Karma can really burn you. You used your power to bully and hurt people. But now..." His mad grin widened. "It's been _gloriously reversed! I have the power now!_ And you're helpless! And considering our situations, I have actual _options now!_ " He kicked the helpless Lamprey again.

"Oh God, this is the worst day of my life..." Lamprey moaned.

"Heh heh, how should I finish you off now, pal?" Brainstorm grinned evilly. "I can fry you slowly with lightning...I can freeze you and make your flesh fall off...I can't seem to use my new mental powers in an offensive manner...but I _can_ enjoy your mental screams..."

"Oh God, someone take me to jail..."

"That's what you _want,_ isn't it?" Brainstorm sneered. "To go to jail. To live in a comfy little cell while people like me, who have suffered at your hands, to live with what you have done! No, no, that's not happening here." He shook his head. "You are _not_ going to get away with what you have done to me and my Weather Controller! And you will finally _pay_ for what you've done!"

 _Never thought I'd go out this way..._ Lamprey thought as he tried to scoot away from the mad metahuman. _Shackled like a dog, powerless, and about to be killed by a mad scientist. Lovely._ He looked up at the sky. "Hey, those clouds..."

"What're you mumbling about?" Brainstorm snarled. "Practicing your pleas for me to stop? Because they aren't going to help you!"

"The sky's getting darker, man! Look at it!" Lamprey yelped, motioning upwards with his head. "You're doing that!"

"Your bratty little friends told me that, too! And I don't care! I want to end your miserable life!" Brainstorm yelled, firing a lightning bolt at Lamprey. The metahuman power absorber screamed as the bolt sent electrical current running through his body. Lamprey cursed the electronic shackles that bound him. He cursed their tough construction. He cursed their shutting off his power to absorb energy, a power that would really have benefited him right now.

"What's the matter, Lamprey?" Brainstorm taunted the superhuman criminal, a gleeful grin on his face. "Don't like it when you are on the receiving end, huh? I'd think this would teach you some empathy, but I am not a stupid man. I know this won't change anything about you. You'll always be a superpowered bully."

Lamprey coughed, twitched and shuddered. "C-c-coming f-from the guy who's trying to murder a shackled man, that's hilarious." Brainstorm shook with rage, and thunder racked in the sky.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU!" Brainstorm roared in rage. " _YOU'RE_ THE BULLY! YOU'LL DIE FOR THAT!" Brainstorm blasted Lamprey with lightning again. Unbeknownst to the two metahumans, a group of small metal spheres, about the size of marbles, rolled up to them. With some small booms, the spheres exploded, erupting in flashes of light and smoke, making Brainstorm scream and gag. The scientist covered his eyes and coughed.

He felt something large jump on top of him and pin him to the ground, yelling "I got him!" The smoke cleared and the heavy weight was revealed to be one Eric Phillips.

"Good work, Trouble!" Brainstorm heard Raven compliment. He also overheard her compliment Johnny B. for his developing those flashbang spheres. Johnny B was overheard remarking that he weren't quite perfected yet.

"NO!" Brainstorm screamed. "HE HAS TO DIE!" He thrashed under the powerhouse drummer. "HE HAS TO DIE!"

"Knock it off, ya crazy mother!" Eric snapped. "I don't wanna have to hurt you man!"

"Superstar, Johnny B, check Lamprey's restraints!" Raven ordered as she pointed her shotgun at Brainstorm. " _You_ are going to calm down!"

Lamprey groaned as he noticed the two Southside Misfits walk towards him. "Are you two going to take me to jail? Please tell me you're going to take me to jail. I would like to go to jail now."

"Yeah, we're here to take you to jail." Jason Vincent answered as he and Johnny looked over at his restraints. "They look intact."

"Yes, they're functioning perfectly." Johnny B. nodded in satsfaction.

"Tough ol' things, aren't they?" Jason chuckled, tapping the metal restraints with his finger, making a little clinking noise.

"They're _designed_ to take a beating in case of situations like this." Johnny B. explained. "These are hardly flimsy handcuffs."

"Glad you're impressed. Please take me to jail." Lamprey whimpered.

"Jenni! Get over here and hypnotize this lunatic!" Raven commanded. Jenni ran over and gently held Dr. Raymond Strom's head.

"Sorry, Dr. Strom." Jennifer apologized sincerely. "I normally try to avoid doing this, but in your case, it's for the best." She made her star-covered eye glow, preparing to put the inventor in a hypnotic trance.

"NO!" Brainstorm roared, his eyes and the lightning bolt-shaped streaks in his hair glowing a hot angry white. "YOU BRATS WON'T STOP ME!"

Brainstorm attacks the Southside Misfits again, then takes Lamprey to the roof of the Ratner Center and tries to finish him off there. The Southside Misfits follow him and battle him on the roof. Lamprey gets blasted off, and Eric knocks him out with one punch.

 **The police station**

Detective Casey Niven was watching the Damage Control men repair the hole in the jail cell. Standing with him was Patty Carroll, the head of the Chicago-based branch of Damage Control.

"Thanks again for helping us repair this place." Niven said sincerely to Carroll.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Carroll smiled. "This is light compared to the last job we had."

"Which one was that?"

"The Ratner Center."

"Ah, where those supervillains attacked." Niven realized. "We managed to catch one of them thanks to those Southside Misfit kids." He pointed at the cell. "We had that superskel locked up in that cell, but another one busted him out. Met those Southside kids' handler."

"Really?" 

Niven nodded. "Yeah. Said her name was Raven. Kind of appropriate for her, woman appeared to be Native American." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Something up?"

"Yeah...no." Niven shook his head. "I'm just wondering something."

"Wondering what?" Carroll blinked. Niven looked at the hole.

"In this age of superpowers...will us cops still be needed?"

"My dad wondered the same thing once. He was a cop." Carroll explained. "He was a police officer during the days of the First Line." A smile crossed the African-American woman's face as warm memories came to her. "Remember them?"

"Yeah, I do." Niven nodded. "Kind of weird how they went out, though."

"Mm." Carroll nodded in agreement. "I was so heartbroken. I was in school when I learned of it." She smiled sadly. "My favorite member of the Line was Rapunzel. I wanted to be just like her. I used to dress up as her every Halloween."

"That's neat." Niven nodded. "I met the Yankee Clipper once. When I was a rookie cop in Topeka." He looked slightly upwards. "It wasn't long before he hung up the belt. I asked him what happened to his First Line teammates. He...seemed rather reluctant to discuss it. I did meet the new one, not long afterwards. She seemed like someone who could handle the belt." He then blinked. "I fail to see what remembering now-gone superheroes have to do with this."

"My Dad was a cop, and he had the same worries you have." Carroll explained. "Until he came to a realization one day."

"What?"

"There may be supervillains and superheroes, but there will always still be a need for regular cops." Carroll explained. "He once said to me, 'Patty, those fancy costumes may take on criminals, but they also have to deal with bad folks in fancy costumes themselves. Who's going to take care of regular crime? We can.'"

"So..." Niven blinked. "You're basically saying that..."

"There will always be a need for cops." Carroll clarified with a smile. "Just like there will always be a need for firefighters and paramedics."

"Hope so." Niven nodded. "I've really grown to like this job." His eyes narrowed as he looked out through the hole. "Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Carroll blinked, looking out the hole. "Oh, man..."

"That doesn't look like any natural storm I've ever seen." Niven remarked. His eyes narrowed. "Wait...isn't that the Ratner Center?"

"What?! Oh, no..." Carroll groaned.

"What...ohhhhhh..." Niven realized.

"Yeah." Carroll sighed. "We hadn't quite finished fixing that place up yet."

"Well, look it like this." Niven said. "At least you guys will get more pay, hopefully."

 **The Ratner Center**

"WHY WON'T YOU BRATS JUST DIE?!" Brainstorm roared, firing lightning at them.

 _These modifications to my shotgun had better work, Goodwin..._ Raven mentally grumbled as she aimed her shotgun at the mad metahuman. "Brainstorm, I suggest you stand down if you don't want this shotgun to fire another pretty laser beam at that big mouth of yours."

"YOU THINK YOU SCARE ME?!" Brainstorm roared. "I CAN BRING A BLIZZARD DOWN ON YOUR HEAD! I CAN USE A TORNADO TO SEND YOUR UNCARING SELF FLYING HALFWAY ACROSS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS! I CAN FRY YOU AND TURN YOU INTO A CRISPY CRITTER!"

"And my shotgun can put you to sleep!" Raven retorted.

"I've seen you and your little brats on TV..." Brainstorm sneered. "You said you were heroes. Heroes are supposed to _stop_ villains. I'm not a villain."

"Dr. Strom, killing him won't help anything."

"YES IT WILL!" Brainstorm snapped. "HE TURNED ME INTO THIS! HE DESTROYED MY LIFE'S WORK AND TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER!"

"Dr. Strom..." Jason said. "You're not a monster. You're just...different, man."

"Superstar, calm him down!" Johnny B. quickly hissed out at the Southside Misfits' leader. "His powers cause him to affect the weather around him with his emotions! He _has_ to be kept calm!"

"Yeah, good luck with _that,_ buddy." Mike cracked. "He's going to kill us."

"I'm invulnerable, he can't touch me." Eric piped up. "Let me get over there and beat him senseless."

Vicki scowled at the drummer. "We don't want him to be turned to paste, Trouble." Eric scowled back at her.

"Girl, I can hold back when I need to."

Niven and Carroll discuss their pasts a bit. Niven fears cops will be obsolete thanks to superheroes. Carroll reassures him by telling him about her father, who was a cop. They get to talking about the First Line, Carroll saying that she admired Rapunzel, and was saddened when she died alongside much of the Line and even many of their villains. Niven remarks he met the original Yankee Clipper when he was starting out on the beat in Topeka, and says there's a new one there.

The Southside Misfits battle against Brainstorm.

"We have to get him inside!" Jason exclaimed as he flew around the raging Brainstorm, his golden wings shooting energy stars at the mad doctor.

"You got it, boss!" Eric started stomping the roof of the building.

"The hell is Trouble doing?!" Raven exclaimed as she blasted at Brainstorm with her modified shotgun.

"He's bringing us a way in! YEOW!" Jenni exclaimed as she dodged a lightning bolt. She then responded with some energy beams of her own.

"I'LL FRY YOU BRATS!" Brainstorm yelled at the members of the Southside Misfits flying around him. "YIE!" He dodged a stream of flame. He growled angrily at Fyre. "Why you-!"

 _ **ZZAP!**_

"AGH!" He dodged energy blasts from Raven's shotgun. "You foul-!"

"Hold still so I can laser you to dreamland!" Raven shouted as she aimed her shotgun at the mad scientist and fired at him.

 _ **Bzzap! Bzzap!**_

Red energy beams flew from the modified shotgun, and the mad scientist flew around and dodged them.

"You can't keep him away from me forever!" The metahuman inventor roared as he flew around. "YEOW!" He felt a blast of flame hit his butt. He growled at a laughing Lisa. "YOU THINK YOU ARE FUNNY, BRAT?!" He roared as thunder cracked in the air. "I'LL SHOW YOU HOW SOMETHING REALLY GETS FRIED!" He fired a blast of wind and lightning at her. Lisa flew out of the way, not realizing Lamprey was behind her.

"What YIE!" Lamprey ducked the lightning bolt, but was not so lucky with the wind. "AAGH!" The wind blew him right off the roof. The restrained supervillain screamed as he felt gravity pull him towards the ground, and then stopped. "Huh?" He looked up and saw that Trouble had grabbed him.

"Hey, buddy." The African-American dreadlocked young mutant grinned. "Didn't want you to miss the party."

"Oh, God..." Lamprey groaned. Eric pulled him back up and smirked at him.

"Been wantin' to give ya one of these for a while." The drummer cocked his fist back, and...

 _Whack!_

"I am the king of the cheese..." Lamprey rambled before falling into unconsciousness.

"Heh." Eric snickered. "Looks like you're good for a laugh."

 _ **KZZAP!**_

"NNGH!" Eric hissed and winced as he felt a lightning bolt hit his back. He looked up and glared at Brainstorm. Brainstorm growled, baring his teeth, holding out a sparking hand at Eric.

"HE'S _**MINE**_ TO KILL AGH!" Brainstorm yelped as he got smacked in the face with a golden energy star.

 _ **Boom!**_

The star exploded, sending the screaming scientist flying.

"YOU MOTHERFUUUUUUUUUU-!"

"Got 'im!" Jason whooped, pumping his fist in the air.

"Whoo-hoo! Good job, babe!" Vicki whooped, clapping. A grinning Jason did a mid-air bow to her.

"Can you two focus, please?!" Raven snapped. "I swear, teenagers and their hormones..."

"You're not much better around Slipstream..." Jenni teased with a grin on her face. Raven groaned and she blushed.

"Shut up, Jenni..." She grumbled. The blonde girl only laughed in response. Meanwhile, Dr. Strom had been sent flying by the energy star. Eventually, the momentum of the explosion ran out, and he found himself suspended in mid air.

"RRGH!" Brainstorm growled, commanding some winds to hold him in the air. "I'll _**murder**_ those brats! They can't protect Lamprey forever!" He started to fly back the way he came. However, he would not catch the Southside Misfits by surprise. One of them spotted him coming.

"Hoo, boy." Mike announced, watching Brainstorm fly up through a pair of futuristic binoculars. "He's coming back, and he is madder than ever. In more than one way, of course." He handed the binoculars back to Johnny B, who was staring at the doctor. "Yo, Johnny..." Mike snapped his fingers in front of the inventor. "You in there? You with us?"

"Yeah, I am, why?"

"You seemed to zone out there for a moment, buddy. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. I was just thinking." Johnny B. explained. "I think I may have a way to stop Brainstorm."

"Yo!" Mike called out excitedly. "Johnny B may have a plan to stop Brainstorm!"

"We could use one." Vicki remarked as the Southside Rockers gathered around the inventor.

"I'm thinking that since the Weather Controller was the thing that empowered Dr. Strom, then maybe it can take them away." Johnny B. put his finger to his chin. "I need that device. I'll need to examine it and figure out how to modify it."

"How long will that take?" Raven asked.

"I...I have no idea." Johnny B. admitted. "I need to get the device first and analyze it. Do the police have it?"

Raven nodded in response. "Yeah, they carted it off with them when they arrested Lamprey." Johnny B. nodded.

"Alright, I'll have to see if I can retrieve it. Wish me luck."

"Make it as quick as you can, Goodwin." Raven told him. She pointed at the unconscious Lamprey. "And take him with you. Drop him off at the police station that Brainstorm busted him out of. And good luck, kid."

"Sure thing." He hefted Lamprey over his shoulder. "And I'll do my best." The young electrokinetic speedster zipped off. The other Southsiders looked at each other.

"So..." Jason looked at the others. "You all ready?"

"You think we can hold him off, man?" Mike asked, holding his staff nervously.

"I could." Eric shrugged. He eyed the hole he started to make in the roof in his foot. "I'd better finish that."

"Good idea." Jason nodded as he watched Eric continue stomping a hole into the roof. "If he shows up, we'll need to get ourselves inside, quick."

"Won't those construction guys be mad we wrecked their work?" Lisa asked.

"Occupational hazard, I'm afraid." Jason told the Asian pyrokinetic redhead.

"I see." Lisa nodded. Then something struck her. "Can we get snacks afterwards?" Lisa asked nonchalantly, idly playing with a fireball. "I'm kind of hungry."

"Geez, and I thought Johnny B. had an appetite." Vicki grumbled.

"At least he has an excuse." Jason said. "Johnny B.'s powers give him a real powerful metabolism. I think it's a thing with speedsters."

"Lisa ain't a speedster." Mike reminded.

"Lisa's brain don't work right, maybe her stomach is the same way." Eric suggested.

"Maybe her powers affect her metabolism, too." Jenni shrugged.

"Hell of a time to be having this conversation." Raven remarked.

"Nerves." Jenni admitted. She then chuckled. "I'm having nerves about facing a mad super-scientist. We've faced scarier in the past." The blonde shook her head. "Look at me. I stared down zombies and _Abdul Alhazred_ himself and I'm freaking out about a crazy man who can create lightning and read minds."

"Considering he can _control the weather,_ maybe you should be nervous." Raven told the blonde sagely. "If his power has no limits, he could tear this city apart."

"I'm just hoping he doesn't find out Johnny B. zipped off with Lamprey." Mike muttered. He heard a rumbling and looked up. "Uh, guys..." The sky started to darken and he saw flashes of lightning in the growing clouds. "He's here, and he seems really mad."

"Everyone get ready!" Raven ordered, cocking her shotgun. Brainstorm flew up to the kids, an insane grin on his face. He was held up by a howling wind, and lightning crackled up and down his body. A wind kicked over the Southside Misfits, making them get low to avoid getting blown away.

"How'd it get so friggin' _cold_ all of a sudden?!" Mike exclaimed, wrapping his arms around himself.

"I hate the cold!" Lisa exclaimed. "Cold sucks!"

"Trouble!" Jason yelled.

"All ready to go, boss!" Trouble gave a thumbs up. Jason then waved at the others.

"Go! Go! Go!" He commanded. The group raced towards the hole. "The hole! Inside!"

"Cowards!" Brainstorm yelled. He then noticed something. "One of you brats is missing!"

"Hey, Al Roker!" Raven taunted. "You wanted Lamprey?!" She smirked. "COME AND GET HIM!" Brainstorm roared in rage and fired a lightning bolt at Raven, but the Native American Joe woman managed to leap through the hole. The lightning bolt only flew through the air. Brainstorm howled and flew in after them.

 **The Police Station**

Johnny B. zipped up to Detective Niven.

"Whoa!" The detective exclaimed.

"Sorry to bother you." Johnny B. told him. He then walked closer to the plainclothes policeman. "I recognized you. You were one of the cops who cuffed Lamprey."

"Yeah, I was." Niven answered. "And we'd like him back."

"We're working on that, I assure you." Johnny B. said. "Didn't your fellow officers also take the ruined Weather Controller?"

"You mean that fancy gadget?" Niven blinked. "Yeah, we got it. It's in the evidence locker."

"I would like to ask if I may have it." Johnny B. told him. "I want to try and use it to stop Brainstorm."

"Who?"

"The man causing that storm out there and trying to turn my compatriots into frozen charcoal briquettes."

Niven sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kid, don't get me wrong. I do appreciate what you and those other Southside kids do for us, but I don't think you get how this works."

"I see."

"Nothing personal, kid. It's just, that thing is evidence. We need it for Lamprey's upcoming trial."

"I _do_ understand, Officer."

"Detective." Niven corrected. "I'm a detective."

"Apologies." Johnny B. said. "Sir, I think I may be able to modify the device to remove Brainstorm's powers."

"If this will stop this, I say let him have it." Patty Carroll suggested. Niven narrowed his eyes at the young mutant inventor.

"You think you can tinker with that gizmo and make it stop him?"

Johnny B. frowned. "You have any other ideas? I am open to alternative suggestions." Niven nodded.

"Fine. You know where the evidence locker is?"

Johnny B. smiled. "I can find it." He zipped away, in a streak of lightning.

"Whoa!" Carroll gasped as she and Niven nearly got knocked over.

"Yup..." The detective grunted. "I figured this. Superpowers make ya crazy."

"Hey, detective!" A beat cop exclaimed. Niven turned and saw a couple of uniformed officers lead Lamprey in. "That speedy kid gave him to us."

"The restraints are still functioning." The other officer added. "These things are built tough. Pretty impressive."

"Stark and Richards designed them for that." Niven reminded.

"Please let me stay here." Lamprey begged. "That scientist guy has been trying to kill me." Niven smirked.

"Oh, we're fixing up your room, buddy." The detective reassured him. "I'll be nice, quiet and peaceful for ya."

"Oh, thank you!" Lamprey sobbed in relief. "Thank you so much!" The metahuman supervillain wailed in delight and relief.

"Yeah, sure. Take him away, boys." Niven jerked his thumb in the direction of the cells. Lamprey kept making relieved and grateful mumblings as the two beat cops took him to his holding cell.

"Well...he seems happy." Carroll noted.

"Yeah." Niven shrugged. "If you ask me, I think the superskel got a bit broken up by that experience. The psych expert will check him over." He and Carroll saw Johnny B zip by, yelling out a quick "thank you" as he raced off. The young speedster raced through the streets of Chicago, holding a box in his hands.

 _I hope I can figure this thing out and repair it fast._ The young inventor frowned as he raced to the abandoned firehouse the Southside Misfits used for their headquarters. He activated his Joe-Com.

"Superstar, if you can hear me, it's Johnny B." Johnny B. said into the watch. "I have the device. I'm heading back to the lab, seeing what I can do. I have no idea how long it will take, so try to hold him off as long as you can." _Gotta move..._ he sped up.

A Hispanic girl was walking out of a store, carrying a bag of groceries. Her brown hair was in a ponytail. She wore a white t-shirt with rainbow stripes across the chest, and neon pink pants.

 _ **Corona. Real Name: Unknown. Birthplace: Unknown. Affiliation: Shadowatch. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Can create rainbow-colored energy that can be used for various effects.**_

"Mm, the other guys are going to love these cookies." Corona smiled, patting her bag. "Bakery-fresh, too. They sure did look delicious-!"

 _ **FWOOSH!**_

"YIE!" The Hispanic mutant yelped as she spotted Johnny B. zipping by in a blur of lightning. The wind kicked up behind her, nearly making her fall down...except the mutant inventor managed to catch her and help her to her feet.

"You alright?" Johnny B. asked as he held her up. "Your groceries are undamaged?"

"Yeah, thanks." Corona nodded appreciatively. "You oughta be more careful."

"Yeah, my apologies for that." Johnny B. apologized sincerely. "I was in a rush. I have to get this device back to my lab."

"I take it that thing has something to do with that weird weather we've been having." Corona guessed, pointing up at the sky.

"Yeah." Johnny B. nodded. "Hey Corona, you should get the rest of Shadowatch and give us a hand here. We're fighting this guy called Brainstorm, and we could use..."

"Ah sorry, Johnny B, but we Shadowatchers have some other business to take care of."

Johnny B. sighed. "Of course you guys do. Big crisis in Chicago, and you guys would rather sit it out."

"Hey, we don't do the superhero thing, that's your job." Corona grinned. Johnny B. grumbled.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my lab." Johnny B. tightened his grip on the box.

"Yeah, sure." Corona shrugged. "Good luck to you guys! And I'll tell Andi you said hello!" She called out in a sing-song voice. Johnny B. grumbled and muttered as he raced off.

 _Bunch of punks, they are._ The inventor thought bitterly. _And their leader is the worst of all of them. Not my fault she can't handle that her parents are a pair of real SOBs who give people further reason to fear our kind..._ The young mutant shook the thoughts out of his head as he approached the old firehouse. As he raced into the lab, he still found himself thinking about that beating that Andi had given him. A sneer crossed his face. It was not _his_ fault she nosed in on a private conversation. And it was not _his_ fault that he was speaking truth that day. If she couldn't handle it, that was _her_ problem, not his.

But that was another time. Right now, he had work to do. He placed the Weather Controller on the desk and looked it over. Meanwhile, back at the Ratner Center, the rest of the Southside Misfits and Raven were trying to fight off Brainstorm.

"Gah!" Mike, Raven, and Eric screamed as they got smacked into a wall by a windstorm.

"Guys, you alright?" Vicki asked in concern as she ran over and helped the two boys and the Joe up.

"I hate that guy...I hate him so much..." Mike grunted. "Thanks, Vick."

"Remind me to break that mutha's arms." Eric grumbled as he dusted himself off. "And I can't do that if he's all the way up there."

"Nn...I think I'll join you on that beating, Eric..." Raven winced as Vicki helped her up. She looked around. "Where's my gun?"

"Maybe I can try to hex him down, if I can hit him. Jerk is slippery."

"I hope Johnny B. is moving his butt on figuring out that gadget of his." Mike said.

"Me, too." Eric nodded.

"There you are..." Raven smiled as she grabbed her shotgun. She then turned her head and glared at Brainstorm.

"Grrr..." Brainstorm growled as he tried to outmaneuver Lisa and Jason while trying to dodge blasts from Lisa and Jenni. "I am getting _real tired_ of you stinkin' brats!"

"You're getting tired, huh?" Raven cracked. "Well, come down here and let me blast you with this! It'll knock you out for a few hours!"

"You'd want that, wouldn't you?" Brainstorm yelled as he blasted at the kids. "Anything to protect Lamprey, huh?"

"We're not his friends!" Vicki retorted.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU NOT LETTING HIM GET HIS DESERVED PAYBACK?!" Brainstorm roared, making the room drop several degrees in temperature.

"Because we're trying to keep you from doing something horrible!" Vicki answered.

"LOOK WHAT HE DID TO ME!" Lamprey roared in rage, firing lightning bolts at the Southside Misfits. The young mutants ducked and dodged the blasts of electrical power.

 _Johnny B, hurry your speedy butt up..._ Jenni winced. Thunder and rain could be heard outside.

"Wait..." Brainstorm looked around. He then noticed something was wrong. "Where is the bastard?! And one of you brats is missing! The speedy one!"

"You should be concentrating on _us,_ Brainstorm!" Jason snapped as his golden wings fired some energy stars at him.

"Seriously?!" Brainstorm snapped, trying to dodge the stars. "You think I'm going to fall for that again GAH!" He got hit by a hexbolt, making him fall to the ground.

"Got him!" Vicki whooped.

"The hell?!" Brainstorm blinked.

"Stun time!" Raven aimed her shotgun at the mad metahuman. _I hope Johnny B. managed to get Lamprey back to the cops..._ Brainstorm's eyes widened.

"NO!" He screamed. "HE'S ALIVE?! YOU KEPT HIM ALIVE?!" He blasted Raven with a blizzard, freezing her.

"Raven!" The Southsiders yelled.

"I got her!" Lisa raced over and started thawing her out.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Brainstorm roared. "YOU LITTLE PUNKS! YOU ARE PROTECTING HIM!" He created a blizzard in the room. "I WILL FIND HIM! AND I WILL MAKE HIM PAY!" He grabbed Mike. "YOU! TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"How should I know?" Mike sneered. "You're the telepath! _You_ go find him!"

"Bah!" Brainstorm tossed Mike aside. "Every time I get my hand on him, you little snots always have to interfere! You claim to be heroes, but that's a lie. If you _were_ heroes, you would have let me get my hands on Lamprey. But you clearly are on his side." He gritted his teeth. "I _tried_ to be merciful with you brats. But you wanted to push it. You cared more about Lamprey than justice." He clenched his fists, electricity crackling up and down them. "You think his life was _worth_ something. He destroyed my life, and you have no problem with it!"

"Doctor, we're trying to keep you from using your powers to get someone hurt!" Jason explained.

"It's because of Lamprey I have these powers!" Brainstorm exclaimed. "He ruined my life and turned me into a freak!"

"And we want Lamprey to go to jail for his crimes!" Jason yelled. _Come on, Johnny B. Hurry it up, man!_ The other Southside Misfits got to their feet as Jason spoke. Vicki activated her Joe-Com.

 **The Southside Misfits' firehouse**

In his lab, Johnny B. was working furiously on the gadget. He pressed an electric screwdriver to a screw. With a whirring noise, the tool tightened a screw on the device. "Okay..." He wiped some sweat off his brow. "I think I managed to fix it. I just wished I had time to _test_ this blasted thing." He looked over his device.

The Weather Controller had a large panel screwed in the back of it, an indication of Johnny B's repair work. He also replaced the cracked monitor and the damaged keyboard. Above the monitor, he added two new black dials. He also made some tweaks and modifications "Under the hood", as it were. Johnny B. smiled in satisfaction.

"I hope that my modifications do the job." He sighed. "God, I hate bringing out inventions without thorough testing. It's just asking for disaster. But then again, how _can_ I test this thing?" He heard his Joe-Com beep. "Hello?"

"Johnny B!" Vicki was heard whispering loudly.

"What's up?" The inventor asked. "How goes the battle with Brainstorm?"

"...please tell us you got the Weather Controller fixed."

"Yes, but..."

"Great! Get it over here!"

"Vicki, I just have to say something."

"For the love of the Goddess, Brainstorm is losing it!"

"Let me say this!" Johnny B. insisted. "Look, his powers are part of his DNA. They're part of who he is now. I have been able to make the appropriate modifications to the Weather Controller, but..." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "If this thing does shut down his powers...there's no guarantee they will return. And even if that _does_ happen, who knows how long it will be before that happens. From days to maybe even seconds. Once his powers are down, we have to move _fast._ "

"So what you got planned?"

"I'll grab a little something I've got in my lab." Johnny B. eyed an object. "I think you'll need it." He grabbed the object and put it in his coat. "I'm on my way. Johnny B. out." He shut off his Joe-Com. The young inventor took the Weather Controller and sighed. "Hope this works." He placed it in a box and zipped off.

 **The Ratner Center**

"I want him to _really_ pay!" Brainstorm snapped. "I want him to _suffer_ for all he has done! You putting him in jail will just guarantee he'll get out and cause more trouble! And yet _I_ am the bad guy for wanting to rid the world of him!"

"You're not the judge, jury, and the executioner." Jason countered. "It's not our place to do any of that."

"In my case, I think an exception should be made. And if that makes me the bad guy...then so be it! The only way I can have any peace...is to kill every single one of you. You're just like Lamprey!"

"We didn't smash your Weather Controller in a fit of petty rage." Jason reminded.

"No, you're worse..." Brainstorm's eyes eyes started to glow. "You _defend_ him!" He fired lightning at the Southside Misfits' leader. Jason's eyes narrowed, and then he sighed. He vanished in a burst of white light before the bolts could hit him. Vicki shut off her Joe-Com with a sigh.

 _Hope Johnny B. moves his speedy butt._ Vicki mentally grumbled.

"Where _are_ you?!" Brainstorm screamed. He saw a flash of light.

"Right here!" Jason grinned as he teleported in front of him and nailed the mad scientist with a mighty punch to the jaw. Brainstorm growled and fired a freeze beam at the African-American teenager. It seemed to freeze the young man solid, but Jason easily burst out, his body in flames.

"This is ridiculous, Doctor." Jason sighed. "Let's just stop this. My powers allow me to counter anything you can do."

 **Outside the Ratner Center**

Johnny B. raced up to the building. He noted the skies around it were darkened by a group of angry black clouds, and the building was being pelted by an odd mix of hail, rain, and snow.

"Oh, geez..." Johnny B. sighed. He then noticed crowds were gathering around the building, and the police had put up a perimeter, keeping the civilians back. "Wonderful." He sighed as he went through the crowd. "Watch out, excuse me!" Johnny B. pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

"Whoa, kid!" One of the cops grabbed his shoulder. "Some kind of super-battle! Too dangerous to go in there!"

"My friends are in there, sir." Johnny B. showed the cop his ID. "And they _need_ me right now."

"Ah, you're one of those Southside Misfit kids. Alright." The cop nodded. "Good luck, kid."

"Thank you." Johnny B. zipped into the building. The cop blinked as he watched this.

"Kids these days." He shook his head. "I wonder what was in that box he was holding, anyway?"

 **Inside the Ratner Center**

"DIE!" Brainstorm roared, causing a blizzard inside the arena. The cold and powerful winds served to slow down most of the team.

"Cold! Too cold!" Lisa wailed. The winds and snow were battering her, and she was having trouble keeping up her flames.

"Can't...concentrate...can't form a hex..." Vicki shivered.

"I sh-sh-should have put on long underwear today..." Mike's teeth chattered.

"Never thought I'd have to get out my winter jacket now..." Raven shivered, trying to rub her bare arms for warmth. Jason seemed to be unaffected, though. He and Brainstorm were facing each other. Jason had adapted to the cold by turning into ice.

"I'll send you to the same Hell I'll send Lamprey to!" Brainstorm snapped. "You hear me, punk!? You'll burn in hell with your friend!" Eric tried to rush the mad inventor, but Brainstorm, without even looking in his direction, zapped him with a lightning bolt, sending the invulnerable dreadlocked drummer flying. Taking advantage of the distraction, Jason was able to slide up to Brainstorm and wallop him with an icy punch to the chin.

"Guhn!" Brainstorm grunted as he fell to the ground. The doors burst open, and Johnny B appeared, tossing away his box, the Weather Controller in his hands. Brainstorm's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"My Weather Controller!" He exclaimed.

"All fixed." Johnny B. smirked. "And I made some modifications." He fiddled with the two black dials, and a ball of white energy appeared in front of the dish. "Hold still."

 _ **FWASH!**_

The device fired a beam of energy that slammed into Brainstorm. The scientist howled as he felt the energies wash over him. His body felt like cold waves were running up and down it.

"That should do it." Johnny B. remarked as the beam shut off. Brainstorm groaned and put his hand to his head.

"Night night time!" Raven fired a stun beam from her shotgun. The beam shocked Strom.

"Hey, weather man!" Brainstorm turned around and...

 _ **Whak!**_

He got downed in one punch by Eric. Johnny B. zipped over and slapped a power nullification collar on Brainstorm.

"Did you _really_ have to do that?" Johnny B. grumbled at the dreadlocked drummer. "Raven had it handled with her stun shotgun."

"Yeah. I did." Eric nodded.

"Good job, Johnny." Raven complimented. She then looked around. "Oh boy, we're gonna need some snowblowers."

"And hot cocoa! I'm freezing!" Lisa shivered.

"I think we all could use some hot drinks right now." Vicki added.

"I'm with the girls, I'm becoming a Popsicle out here!" Mike shuddered.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Raven agreed. She sighed as she looked around at the damage. "Carroll is going to hate us..."

 **Some hours later**

Dr. Raymond Strom sat in the holding cell, just staring blankly at the wall. The only movements he made were blinking and breathe. Casey Niven approached the cell.

"How ya doing, Doc?" He asked. No response. "Well, your trial's been booked, and your friend Lamprey's on the way to the Vault. We'll make sure ya get the help you need, bud." The detective walked away. Brainstorm's eyes then shifted slightly towards Niven...then back to the wall.

The scientist's mind raced and worked. All it could concentrate on was the Southside Misfits. How they denied him his justice. It was because of _them_ Lamprey was alive. It was because of _them_ he was in here. They ruined his life. And he would make them pay...

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


End file.
